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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23706163">ERROR</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Babbling/pseuds/Babbling'>Babbling</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Robots &amp; Androids, Android Sehyoon, Chan built Sehyoon, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, First Dates, Flowers, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Holding Hands, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Plot Twists, Scandal, Science Fiction, Scientist Chan, Sehchan, Sehyoon as hobby gardener, Sehyoon takes care of Chan, Step-Brothers, There is a lot going on, Wowdroid, actor Park Junhee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:01:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>39,052</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23706163</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Babbling/pseuds/Babbling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sehyoon has gotten built without the ability to lie. He never questions that fact nor does he care about it. After all, his creator knows exactly what he is doing and he doesn't trust anyone more than him. </p><p>That is until he finds out that out of all the people around him; his creator is probably the best liar.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kang Yuchan | Chan/Kim Sehyoon | Wow, Lee Donghun/Park Junhee | Jun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>65</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Another one lmao</p><p>I'm a bit nervous about posting this since it was in my drafts for so long :") finally sehchan can rise :D </p><p>Have fun~</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The first ever thing Sehyoon hears is a dull beeping. At first it doesn’t bother him too much; it’s distant and quiet. However, it slowly turns louder and louder until he can’t ignore it any longer, and confused, he opens his eyes, light blinding him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luckily it doesn’t take his eyes long to adjust to the new circumstances, and once his sight is finally cleared up, he gets met by the view of a young man, staring at him with an open mouth and wide eyed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re awake!” The man exclaims, sounding breathless because of how excited he is. “You are really awake!” Sehyoon frowns, a wave of information hitting him that needs some seconds to get processed. Then a smile spreads on his face. It feels unfamiliar but also good and he makes a note to smile more often in the future. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, you must be Yuchan. I’m Sehyoon and I’m very happy to meet you.” His introduction makes the man return his smile and Sehyoon makes another note to himself that he should also try to get Yuchan to smile often. It looks nice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you are right, I’m Chan.” He shakes his head in disbelief, while Sehyoon watches him curiously. “I can’t believe this time it finally worked. Do you know how long I’ve waited to finally be able to talk to you like this?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seven years and three months.” Sehyoon answers. He has no idea where he got this information from. It simply has been saved somewhere in his head but his answer makes Chan start laughing and he is pleased with himself. Making him laugh is another thing he simply wants to keep on doing.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are right. Of course, you are! After all, I’m the one who told you. Do you know that I built you?” Sehyoon nods. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s all in my head but...I don’t know how it got there.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh that’s simple!” Chan exclaims, before he pulls a small chip out of his pocket. “I put all necessary information and data on one of these and then put it into the related spot into your head. Cliché, I know! Head, human brain and now your brain is there too but I always wanted to make you as similar to a human as possible so it seemed fitting. Are you satisfied?” It takes some seconds for Sehyoon to understand the other’s question in which Chan looks at him with eager eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, he takes his eyes off the man and observes his own body instead. He still feels like he doesn’t know enough words to describe all the things he sees, and emotions he is feeling so he says the first thing that comes to his mind,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beautiful.” At this Chan smiles softly and reaches out a hand to carefully touch Sehyoon’s body that is shimmering silvery in the bright light of the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beautiful indeed...” He agrees, his voice not louder than a whisper, before he pulls back his hand. “Well, now that you are awake, we should get you something to get properly dressed. I don’t want you to catch a cold.” Again, it takes some time until Sehyoon realises that Chan has made a joke but once he does, the reaction follows quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A laughter escapes his mouth and then a second one and another until there is nothing holding him back anymore. Chan, who has gone to the other side of the room to get some clothes, stops in his tracks and turns around, staring at Sehyoon with a mix of surprise and amusement. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No one has ever laughed at a joke of mine like this...and it wasn’t even a good one.” He says but still can’t suppress a smile, before he takes the clothes and walks back to the still laughing android. “Here, they are your size, I bought them especially for you. You’ll look good in them.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sehyoon immediately stops laughing and puts on the clothes, while Chan watches him, a satisfied grin on his face. Once he is done the younger nods approvingly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perfect. I planned everything perfectly indeed.” He gives Sehyoon another small smile, before he turns around and gestures to follow him. “Now it’s time for you to finally get out of this stuffy room. You deserve to see the real world!” The android looks from Chan and to his legs and back, not really sure what to do next. Of course, the information in his head are telling him to use his joints and move his legs but something is keeping him from doing it; an invisible wall inside his mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan has already reached the door, when he eventually notices that Sehyoon hasn’t followed him and he turns around confused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you not coming? What’s the problem?” Sehyoon frowns, his program already running several checks on why he isn’t moving and they all come to the same conclusion;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing...There is no problem.” Sehyoon is as confused about that as Chan looks and the latter slowly walks back to him, observing him from head to toe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes...there should be no errors. I told you that I built you. I don’t make mistakes.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know...” Or rather it’s what Chan has saved onto his chip, “But what if it still doesn’t work? What if I’m gonna fall?” The other opens his mouth, before he closes it and then opens it again,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You...won’t. Don’t you trust in my abilities? Gosh, you’re an android, you shouldn’t even be thinking about such things. Now come on, try it.” He reaches out a hand and hesitantly Sehyoon grabs it. “You are worth a lot of money; don’t think I’ll just let you fall.” Chan starts laughing and Sehyoon’s program tells him to join in, so he does, while he slowly lifts his foot and takes one step off the small, round platform he has been standing on till now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It is like Chan has promised; his legs work perfectly fine and he doesn’t stumble or fall. Instead he safely arrives on the other side of the room together with the other who gives him a proud smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Amazing, simply amazing! Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it faster than you can imagine and soon nobody would ever suspect you to not be human. I’ll finally show everyone just how capable I am.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sehyoon doesn’t say anything. His program is telling him to agree to Chan and to push his self-esteem but at the same time the android doesn’t even know what the other is talking about, so he secretly deletes the order, even though it makes him feel guilty. Chan has worked hard on building him and he should understand him better and be a better android and still...something is holding him back. However, he has no time to run more checks on what error exactly his mechanical brain is having, because meanwhile the other has guided him outside and into another, smaller room without windows and after simply standing in it for two minutes, the door suddenly opens and Sehyoon’s engine shuts down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sehyoon? Sehyoon!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” His head turns to Chan who is looking at him with a frown. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I called your name for like five times but you didn’t respond...” The android bites on his lower lip. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry...there was an error.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Already?” It’s obvious that these news put a shadow over the other’s good mood and it makes Sehyoon feel even worse immediately. He is alive for not even an hour and already malfunctioning and disappointing his creator. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just...the view!” Shyly he points at the huge window right in front of them through which they can see thousands and thousands of lights, belonging to the city that is lying below them like an ocean of stars. “It’s so...beautiful.” The other follows his stare and eventually nods hesitantly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes...it’s kind of pretty but...you’ll get used to it eventually.” He shrugs and then starts walking, while Sehyoon stays for some more seconds, not yet ready to take his eyes off the view. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think that I’ll ever be able to get used to this. There wasn’t any information about this in my brain. It surprised me.” He slowly follows Chan without even looking, where his feet are guiding him. Soon he realizes that a majority of the wall is made of big glass planes and he can’t help but think that living here must feel like how people have imagined gods to live. Not that Chan has programmed him to believe in such things as gods, science is the only thing the other believes in, but he has the information in his head. Still, if gods are the ones that create life, then does that make Chan a god too? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sehyoon?” Again, the android looks up confused, his brain having been too occupied to acquire and process whatever has been happening around him. He gives Chan a guilty glance who observes him with furrowed eyebrows. “You know...for an android you are weirdly distracted. Didn’t I program you to listen to me? What did I even build you for, if you are the same as everybody else? I really need to do some more checkups...” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But...didn’t you say, you want me to be as human as possible? Isn’t me being like everybody else something positive?” This makes Chan’s eyes widen in surprise. He opens and closes his mouth, apparently not knowing what to reply, before a bright smile appears on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are right! Even though it’s annoying, it only makes me even more of a genius, doesn’t it?” He walks closer to Sehyoon, carefully lifting his hand and touching the android’s cheek with a grin that he can’t match to any of his information but which makes his body freeze to ice. “Just promise me to listen to me better from now on. I don’t want anything bad to happen to my new best friend.” Sehyoon doesn’t really know what he means by that, but Chan lets go of his face again and then turns back to the door behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This will be your room. You are a robot so you won’t need any sleep. Also, you run on solar energy so if you feel tired, just find a nice spot in the sun and it should be fine.” Sehyoon nods, listening to the instructions carefully. He has made too many mistakes already and he doesn’t want to keep on disappointing Chan. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be working a lot since there are some other projects I need to take care of which is why I would appreciate it a lot if you could basically keep me alive.” At this, Sehyoon quickly views the matching information and gives his creator a shocked look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You sometimes forget to eat for three whole days? How is that even possible?” Chan shrugs and sighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, there is nobody to remind me to eat and I get really invested in my work. I don’t even notice how time passes.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But that’s very unhealthy!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know which is why I want you to cook and force me to eat at normal times. You happen to be a five star cook so I expect to be looking forward to lunch and dinner soon.” Sehyoon nods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t disappoint you!” Chan gives him a small smile, while he slowly makes his way to a room at the end of the corridor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you won’t, Sehyoon.” The android already has one hand on the door handle, when he suddenly is no longer able to ignore the hole of information that is sitting in his mind like an ugly wart. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I ask, why you built me?” Chan, who also has nearly reached his room, stops in his tracks and turns back around. He is too far away for Sehyoon’s sensors in his eyes to read the other’s expression but he believes to see how he shrinks, even though only a tiny little bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I finally wanted a friend...That’s all.” He explains, before he opens his door. “Good night, Sehyoon.” And with these words he disappears from the android’s view. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While Sehyoon has still been so excited the first couple of hours of his new life, he quickly has to discover that it turns out a lot more boring than he expected. Not that an android can really be bored but he had hoped to discover the city below them and gather new information to expand the knowledge on his chip—or </span>
  <em>
    <span>brain</span>
  </em>
  <span>, how Chan always calls it. Instead Sehyoon spends the time cooking or cleaning and when all of that is done, he either stares outside the window or reads—a safe way to gather information without having to put oneself into danger. At least that is what Chan has explained to him, while passing him a book after the fifth time Sehyoon has asked him, when he would finally be allowed to accompany Chan on his trips outside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In general, Sehyoon does not see the other often. Most of the time, he locks himself into his laboratory or sometimes leaves his apartment to do things that the android doesn’t need to worry about. He only sees him for the meals, or when Chan calls Sehyoon to run tests and checks on him, often ending with him getting switched off because Chan feels like there is some fixing to do. Still, until now Sehyoon never has felt any changes in his behavior and it relieves him. Even though he wants to be a good android for his creator, he also feels a growing urge to misbehave and ignore orders. It should worry him but he likes it. Sehyoon thinks that it makes him act a lot more human, just like the people he reads about in his books. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Weeks pass like that; with Sehyoon learning and longing to learn more and Chan working on secret projects in his laboratory. Ten weeks and four days have already passed, every day nearly exactly like the ones before, when finally something happens that should change everything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It is late at night when Chan has already eaten his dinner and told Sehyoon goodnight hours ago, after which the house has turned even more quiet than at daytime. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sehyoon has sat down on his bed, a book in his hands. Usually he shuts down, which saves energy since there is nothing happening in the night hours anyways and Chan doesn’t need his help. However, today he has started reading a book about flowers and while Chan has put a lot of knowledge into his brain, he apparently has never found it important enough to tell him about these beautiful plants that Sehyoon can’t wait to finally see with his own eyes. The apartment doesn’t have any plants in it, probably because Chan would forget to take care of them anyways but now that Sehyoon is there to help, maybe he could convince the other to buy him some flowers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That thought has kept Sehyoon awake—excitedly reading the book over and over again, observing every detail of the small, colorful pictures—when he hears it: an outcry that makes him jump up in panic. Chan! The other is the only thought in his mind, his body immediately having switched into an emergency mode he didn’t even know exists. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He storms out of his room and towards Chan’s, his body preparing himself to do whatever is necessary to protect his creator. However, when he bursts into Chan’s bedroom, he stops in surprise, needing some seconds to process the situation that is so different from what he has expected. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room is dark but empty, except for Chan who sits in his bed, huddled up, and stares at Sehyoon with wide, red and teary eyes. The android observes him confused, before he quickly walks over and takes his wrist to check his vitals. Chan flinches at his touch but doesn’t pull away and Sehyoon takes it as a clue that he is allowed to keep going. The results show that there is nothing wrong except for Chan’s fastened pulse and breathing which indicates that he must have gotten startled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” Sehyoon asks carefully, his program telling him to be gentle with Chan who looks like a frightened child. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“N—Nothing...” The other stammers, avoiding Sehyoon’s eyes, while his breathing slowly turns back to normal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was a lie.” The android states and Chan rolls his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course it was...” He replies but when Sehyoon doesn’t leave, he sighs. “It’s...I had a nightmare...” He admits in a small voice and the way in which his shoulders slump down even more, he looks vulnerable. It’s something Sehyoon knows about but which he has never seen on Chan who always acts confident and sure of himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A nightmare?” Sehyoon has never heard about such a thing but he decides to search for information on it the next day. Maybe Chan could finally show him how to use the screens he always carries around with him and that seem to hold more knowledge than all the books Sehyoon had read till now combined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s something only humans can have...” Chan explains, tiredly rubbing his eyes with one hand. “Sometimes, when I sleep, I see pictures...Horrible pictures. It’s like a movie but it feels so much more realistic.” Sehyoon nods, trying his best to understand. He never sleeps, so of course he has never had a nightmare before. However, seeing Chan’s wet cheeks and pale skin, it must be something horrible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will protect you then.” Sehyoon mumbles and carefully wipes away the tears on the other’s cheeks. Chan looks at him surprised, before he laughs humorlessly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t protect me from nightmares, Sehyoon. Nobody can. It’s something I have to endure completely on my own...” That makes the android frown confused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then what else can I do? It’s my purpose to protect you!” He hates that once again he is unable to do what Chan has built him for. That once again he is a useless disappointment. The other only shrugs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is nothing you can do, I guess. Don’t worry, I’ve lived with this for a long time now. I’m used to it.” But Sehyoon doesn’t accept that. He simply can’t!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me stay then. Let me protect you as much as I can. Maybe it will help.” Chan’s expression makes it obvious that he is sure that it won’t but when Sehyoon slowly grabs his hand and says, “please” with as much sincerity as possible, he eventually nods. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay...It can’t get any worse, so why not just try, huh?” He lays back down and Sehyoon gets himself a chair so that he can sit next to his bed to watch over him. At first it’s quiet and after some minutes Sehyoon thinks that Chan might have already fallen asleep, when suddenly the younger shyly reaches out his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sehyoon?” He asks, while the android looks at it confused. “Can you hold my hand? It’s so dark and I want to be sure that you are still there.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.” Sehyoon nods and carefully takes it. Chan’s hand feels warm and soft in his own. The skin is so smooth and the android can’t help but curiously start to caress it. He expects Chan to pull away or tell him to stop, but the other doesn’t and just stays silent until Sehyoon’s sensors tell him that he has fallen asleep. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>@5tar_light also drew some amazing fanart for this fic. You can find the thread <a href="https://twitter.com/5tar_light/status/1218459974915035136?s=21">Here!</a> It’s definitely worth to take some time to look at it!😊</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Helloooo~ I'm back and I hope, you'll like the chapter :D</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning Chan pretends like nothing has happened. After shifting and yawning loudly, he blinks at his and Sehyoon’s intertwined fingers for some seconds, before he pulls his hand away and hastily disappears in the bathroom. </p>
<p>They don’t talk about the incident, not even when Sehyoon serves Chan the breakfast he prepared while the other has gotten ready for the day. Usually, Sehyoon starts cleaning up immediately since he doesn’t need to eat anyway, but today he sits down in front of Chan, watching him eat quietly while Chan gives him bewildered glances. </p>
<p>“Do you like it?” Sehyoon eventually asks and Chan nods which makes the android smile. “I’m taking good care of you, right?” Again Chan nods, this time with a confused frown on his face. He chews and swallows before he stares at Sehyoon questioningly.</p>
<p>“Why the sudden interrogation? If you are doing something wrong, I’ll let you know immediately, don’t worry.” He goes back to eating his food and Sehyoon starts chewing on his lower lip. It’s something he has seen Chan do a couple of times, when he has been talking on the phone or before going out and his brain tells him that it’s the right moment to do it for the first time too. </p>
<p>“Actually... I found this book...” Sehyoon slowly places the flower book in front of Chan who looks at it in confusion. </p>
<p>“I didn’t even know that I owned this.” Is the only thing he comments before pulling out his phone and starting to tap away on it. Then he sighs. “I’ll have to go and get some things outside today. You stay here and be a good android and take care of the house.” Chan gets up, his plate only half finished, and Sehyoon quickly hurries after him. If the other is going outside today then that is his chance to finally get some company in the too quiet apartment.</p>
<p>“Actually I wanted to ask if—“ </p>
<p>“Have you seen my coat?”</p>
<p>Sehyoon goes to get it and hands it to Chan before he tries his luck again, “Maybe you could buy some plants for the apartment. They would look pretty and I’m taking good care of you, so I’m sure I’ll be also able to take good care of—“ However, once again Sehyoon gets interrupted by Chan’s phone ringing and ten seconds later he is out of the apartment, leaving Sehyoon on his own like so often who slowly walks to the kitchen to clean up the dishes and maybe sweep the floor for the fifth time these past two days. </p>
<p>Afterwards he checks his program to find out what the annoying feeling is that he is constantly feeling nowadays and it doesn’t take long to find the right results; he is frustrated. </p>
<hr/>
<p>Hours pass and Sehyoon uses them to read. At some point he starts experimenting with one of Chan’s beloved screens, desperate to learn something new even though he hasn’t asked Chan if he is allowed to touch them, but his experiment ends after not even two minutes, when he discovers that it’s locked with a password. For a second, Sehyoon actually considers hacking the device but he quickly brushes away that thought, feeling guilty for even considering it. He was built so that Chan could trust him and he would not misuse that trust. Never. </p>
<p>Still, he is bored. It has not even taken him a week to read all of Chan’s books, since he only needs to scan each page to remember its content, which is a very fast way to read. Too fast, he realizes with a groan, and lets himself fall onto his bed. Another habit he has picked up from Chan since he has gotten to know him. The other is tired a lot and when he once again has worked through a night, he tends to sleeps until Sehyoon calls him for dinner. </p>
<p>The thought makes him want to sleep too. Maybe time would pass faster like that. Too bad that he isn’t even able to do such a simple thing as sleeping. Not really at least.</p>
<p>Sehyoon is just thinking about whether he should turn himself off until Chan comes back home, when noises at the door tell him that that has already happened. Hastily he gets up, trying to not look too excited, when he goes to meet Chan at the entrance. </p>
<p>“You are back!” He exclaims and gets met by a brightly grinning face. </p>
<p>“Sehyoon!” The android is kind of taken back by how cheerful Chan seems. It’s an emotion he has only once seen on him once, when he has first met him. Since then Chan has mainly been absorbed in his work, making him look either distracted, tired or even frustrated. </p>
<p>“Did something good happen?” He asks and Chan nods eagerly, while kicking off his shoes, two huge bags in his hands. </p>
<p>“Something very good. Which is also why I brought you something.” Sehyoon’s eyes grow wide at this.</p>
<p>“A present?” Chan only stretches out his arm and hands him one of the bags.</p>
<p>“I hope you'll like it.” Eagerly Sehyoon looks inside, a cry of delight escaping his mouth, once his eyes spot the two little plants inside of the bag. Happiness takes over his entire body and before his program can consider which is the best way to react, Sehyoon pulls Chan into a hug. It’s only a short one with how the android’s body is not able to stand still long enough, but he feels clearly how Chan stiffens. </p>
<p>“I love it.” He eventually says and the other gives him a small smile. </p>
<p>“I can see that. You should give them good spots, where they get enough sunlight or they will die.” Sehyoon nods distracted, staring at his new companions while he runs off to find a good place for them. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Life after that becomes more interesting. Chan still locks himself inside his laboratory or disappears without a word, but Sehyoon finally feels like he has a useful task to fulfill and even though Chan doesn’t say much to this new garden on his huge rooftop terrace, Sehyoon discovers one or two new plants on the table whenever Chan comes back from one of his trips down to the city. It makes Sehyoon feel happy and he even stops pestering Chan about when he will finally be allowed to accompany him. Maybe that has been his creator’s plan in the first place but his brain doesn’t care much about theories without proof, and therefore he doesn’t think much about it.</p>
<p>Also, another thing has changed. Since Chan’s nightmare several weeks have passed. At first Sehyoon had expected him to simply ignore the incident and pretend that it has never happened like that morning after, however, when the android had not made any attempts on following Chan to his room that night, he had given him a questioning glance. </p>
<p>“Are you not coming?” He had asked and Sehyoon had stared at him in confusion. </p>
<p>“But you are going to sleep.” At this Chan had sighed as if he wasn’t understanding something very simple. </p>
<p>“Exactly. You promised to do everything in your power to protect me, so you’ll spend the nights in my room from now on.” His tone had sounded rough and nearly annoyed but later, when all the lights had been turned off, Sehyoon felt his hand slip into his and he held onto it, knowing very well that Chan was a lot more scared than he pretended to be. </p>
<p>By now them spending the night in the same room has become a steady routine. Chan leaves his laboratory or comes home for dinner and eats, while Sehyoon starts babbling about his plants or watches him check documents on his screen. Chan usually barely talks but he also doesn’t tell him to be quiet and the android takes it as affirmation to keep going. </p>
<p>After dinner Chan often goes back to work, while Sehyoon cleans up, before he goes to force Chan to stop and go to bed two hours later. Then he waits for Chan to get ready, followed by him falling asleep while Sehyoon is holding his hand and watching over him. However, after that one night, Chan doesn’t have any more nightmares. </p>
<p>That is, until a night over a month later. Everything is as always at first. They go to bed and Sehyoon holds Chan’s hand till he falls asleep. Then the android does what he is supposed to do and watches over Chan, observing the way his chest rises with every steady breath and how he clenches his hands to fists from time to time. It is dark but Sehyoon doesn’t need any light to see perfectly. Another gift from his creator. </p>
<p>One hour passes and then another without anything happening. Slowly the android’s thoughts wander to his little garden on Chan’s rooftop terrace. Sehyoon hadn’t even known that it existed until the other had shown it to him with the statement that it would be a better place than his living room. It’s the place where he is most happy and whenever he is done with all his other tasks, Sehyoon goes there to take care of his colorful friends. A small smile spreads on his face at the thought and he starts planning on what to talk to his plants about the next day since he has read that this would help them grow, when Chan’s hand twitches in his. </p>
<p>At first, Sehyoon doesn’t think much of it. The other tends to move a lot in his sleep and he has read that this was completely normal behavior for some humans. Then a strange noise starts sounding and immediately the android is alerted. It takes him several seconds to realize that the sound is coming from Chan and he watches in horror how tears begin rolling down his cheeks. He has never actually seen a human cry before but from his information, he knows that it can only mean one thing; Chan is in huge pain. The whimpers grow louder and Sehyoon stares at the other, feverishly thinking about what would be the right thing to do. He can’t just watch. Chan is in pain and he is supposed to keep him safe! Another whimper escapes the other’s lips and even though Sehyoon’s brain tells him that he shouldn’t touch Chan without his permission, he bends forward and carefully grabs his shoulder. </p>
<p>“Hey…” He says in hopes to wake him, however without any success. Sehyoon tries again, his voice a little louder this time, while also carefully shaking Chan’s shoulder, “Chan! Wake up!” Again, it doesn’t seem to work and Sehyoon is about to raise his voice even more, when Chan suddenly opens his mouth and lets out a scream which seems to make its way deep into the android’s motorized heart. Everything in him screams at him to help Chan; to keep him safe and make him feel better. It’s one of the main rules deeply engraved in his brain but all Sehyoon can do is shake Chan a bit harder, a bit more desperate, while he calls his name again and again. </p>
<p>It feels as if hours have passed, when Chan’s eyes finally open. Sehyoon already wants to relax again, relief replacing his former fear and something like a comforting smile spreads on his face, when suddenly Chan’s eyes grow huge and he starts shaking Sehyoon’s hands off him, the tears still rolling down his face. The android stares at him perplexed, trying to analyze the situation, only for a foot to hit him right in the stomach. </p>
<p>It doesn’t hurt, after all Sehyoon isn’t able to feel actual feelings that way, but he still needs some time to process what has happened, while he watches Chan who crawls as far away from him as possible on the bed. His entire body is trembling, his cheeks wet from crying and his expression a grimace of fear. Sehyoon had thought the nightmare was over but in reality, it is still going on. </p>
<p>Carefully to not frighten Chan even more, he moves closer again. He has no idea what exactly he is doing or what he is supposed to do but something about the situation is reminding him of an article he has read about how to train dogs. </p>
<p>“Chan…” He says, trying to make his voice sound as soft as possible. “It’s just me, Sehyoon, your friend.” At his words, Chan whimpers again, still looking at him as if he has just announced he wants his death. </p>
<p>“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.” Sehyoon keeps on talking, while he leans a bit closer. “It’s all right.” Slowly, he raises his hand, carefully putting it on Chan’s upper arm who flinches at the touch and backs even further away. </p>
<p>“It’s okay. I’m here.” He hopes that his voice sounds as soothing as he wants it to, while he raises his hand in a second try, this time putting it on the other’s lower leg. Chan stares at it with wide eyes and again he flinches but only slightly and when Sehyoon doesn’t get another kick into the stomach, he takes it as permission to softly start rubbing his leg. While he is doing that, he keeps on talking, repeating again and again that everything is alright and that Chan is safe, before he eventually gets close enough to be able to pull him into a hug. </p>
<p>Immediately Chan’s defenses are back up, he squirms and tries to get Sehyoon off him but the android only starts rubbing his back comfortingly while he waits for the other to calm down. Eventually, he does, Chan’s fragile body now lying weakly in Sehyoon’s arms, his limbs trembling and his sobs telling the android that he is still crying. His system still hasn’t found any useful information as to how he should act, so he starts rocking Chan in his arms like a mother to her newborn. It apparently works because the android’s sensors notice the other’s racing heartbeat slowly calming down.</p>
<p>Sehyoon doesn’t know how long it takes until the room finally turns quiet, but he takes a deep breath of relief, when Chan eventually speaks up, </p>
<p>“Sehyoon…?” He asks, his voice merely a whisper and the android carefully breaks away from him. </p>
<p>“I’m here.” He says, just like he has done over and over to calm him. Chan looks at him, his eyes still red from crying and bigger than usual but also without the expression of utter fear in them anymore. Suddenly Sehyoon realizes how close they are to each other and that he has touched Chan without asking for his permission and he quickly backs away. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry.” He apologizes, once again cursing himself for always acting against his protocol. Just why couldn’t he stick to the rules for once? At this rate Chan would probably shut him down soon. However, instead of the other starting to lecture him like he usually does when Sehyoon has done something wrong, he slowly moves forward and then hesitantly wraps his arms around his neck, pressing their bodies back against each other. Sehyoon stiffens, surprised, his system once more unable to decide how to process the situation. </p>
<p>“Sehyoon?” Chan asks again, his voice sounding clearer this time. “Can you tell me something about your plants?” It’s a request Sehyoon hasn’t expected and even though he doesn’t know how to react, he feels his head nodding. </p>
<p>“Of course.” He mumbles and Chan lets go of him, laying back down before he signalizes Sehyoon to do the same. When the latter doesn’t move and only stares at him perplexed, his system working at full blast in the try to react accordingly which makes his entire body heat up like a hotplate, Chan rolls his eyes annoyed, making him look like his usual self again. </p>
<p>“C’mon. You’re my friend. It’s okay for friends to stay close to each other…” He states and Sehyoon simply accepts it since whatever Chan tells him must be the truth. At least, he couldn’t find any other information in his brain. Therefore, he lays down next to Chan, hoping his body is already cool enough for the other to be able to touch him without burning himself. </p>
<p>They stay like this for a moment, lying next to each other in silence with a hand’s breadth of space between them. </p>
<p>“So…Will you tell me about your plants or not?” Chan eventually wants to know sulkily and Sehyoon nearly chuckles aloud. He has not liked the feeling that the other has made him feel after waking from his nightmare and he is glad that Chan is acting as always again. So, he smiles into the darkness and starts telling the other about his plan to turn his entire terrace into a beautiful garden until Chan’s even breaths show him that he has gone back to sleep. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sehni is the cutest android and I'm sad <br/>btw if you want to see some amazing Sehchan fanart  of this fic (or just A.C.E fanart in general) you should definitely check out <a href="https://twitter.com/5tar_light">@5tar_light</a>'s Twitter acc ^^ </p>
<p>As always feel free to leave some feedback^^ </p>
<p>(My own twitter: @babbl1ng)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sehyoon gets up once the first rays of sunshine find their way into Chan’s bedroom. There are thick curtains which would prevent light from making its way inside but they are neatly tucked away at the sides of the huge window, unused. In one of his first nights that he has spent with Chan, Sehyoon asked him if he should close them but the other had shaken his head. </p>
<p>“I don’t like the darkness...” He had said, not meeting the android’s eyes while he was typing away on his screen. “I prefer seeing the stars and the moon and getting woken by the sun in the morning. It helps me wake up on time and with enough energy to work.” </p>
<p>Sehyoon can’t help but smile at that memory, while he watches Chan’s peaceful face. He is still fast asleep, his chest rising evenly. Not even the sun that makes his eyelashes cast long shadows on his face seem to be able to disturb his sleep. Chan looks younger like this; without the serious expression he usually carries around. However, Sehyoon also knows that it won’t stay peaceful like this for much longer and he gets up as carefully as possible as to not wake him. A morning Chan often also means a hungry, difficult Chan and he knows how to prevent arguments from happening by now. </p>
<p>Since Chan’s last nightmare, several weeks have passed already. Every couple of nights, he still awakens with tears running down his face while his screams fill the silence of the night, but Sehyoon has learned how to deal with it. By now, Chan doesn’t fight against his hands any longer and instead calms down much quicker in Sehyoon’s arms that hold him tightly and keep him safe. They have gotten closer through that. While Sehyoon still had been very careful to not touch Chan before, he often wakes up with the other clinging to him in his sleep nowadays and even when they are both awake Sehyoon catches himself touching Chan even when he has no actual reason to. It still confuses him but he likes the way his sensors react to the other’s skin and body heat. </p>
<p>Chan also has never complained about it till now and instead he is even allowing Sehyoon to bring small snacks and water into his laboratory. It’s a small gesture but the android knows that for Chan, this is a huge deal. It’s like he is slowly opening his heart to him and that thought makes Sehyoon smile even brighter, while he begins frying eggs on the stove. He finally feels like he is of use for his creator, instead of only being a machine to experiment on. Actually, the tests Chan always ran on him become less frequent. Another thing that makes Sehyoon feel more confident about himself. </p>
<p>He happily starts humming, enjoying the warm morning sun on his skin while he sets the table. Today will be a good day. He can feel that. </p>
<p>“Morning...” Chan’s sleepy voice makes him turn around and greet the other with a smile. He finishes preparing breakfast while Chan watches him with observing eyes. It surprises him a bit. Usually the other is already working and typing on his screen at this time of the day. </p>
<p>Sehyoon places the plate with the fried eggs in front of Chan and then moves on to spread some butter on a toast for him. </p>
<p>“Thank you.” Chan says, and accepts them with a smile that leads to Sehyoon to look at him with a frown.</p>
<p>“You look excited about today.” He states and sits down in front of Chan who is carefully putting the eggs on his toast and then takes a big bite. His eyes have a shimmer in them that Sehyoon has never seen before. He takes his time to completely swallow all his food, before he answers,</p>
<p>“That’s because today is gonna be a special day.” At his explanation, curiosity rises in Sehyoon. </p>
<p>“Really?” He bends forward to fill Chan’s glass with fresh water, earning a thankful nod. That’s another new thing the other has started doing: he thanks him and it still surprises Sehyoon every time. “Can I ask what is so special that it makes you focus on eating for once? It should happen more often, because you usually never listen to me.” </p>
<p>“Yesterday, I told you that I have to go to the city to get some things for the laboratory, right?” Sehyoon nods, the frown returning to his face. Of course, he still remembers that but what does it have to do with Chan’s happy mood? The other often goes out to get new tools or spare parts. It’s nothing special. “Well, my supplier told me that the part I ordered is really heavy and that’s why I thought a super strong android could come in handy.” Sehyoon can’t believe his ears. There is no way that Chan really is suggesting to go down to the city with him after that has been off topic for so long. </p>
<p>“I—I can come with you?” He asks and Chan gives him an amused smile. </p>
<p>“Yes. I think it’s about time that you get to know the real world.” That makes Sehyoon jump up, no longer able to control his excitement. </p>
<p>“Does that mean I will finally see everything up close? Other humans, flower shops, traffic lights and puppies?” A laugh escapes Chan’s mouth and Sehyoon stops, staring at the other in awe. This is the first time that he has heard Chan laugh like this; warm and carefree and the way his face glows while all his teeth are showing looks beautiful. Sehyoon saves that moment together with his other favorite ones: seeing his creator for the first time, the city lights sparkling like stars under him, the vibrant colors of his flowers on the rooftop and Chan’s peaceful face while he is sleeping next to Sehyoon. He often looks through these memories when he has nothing else to do to revive them and he can’t wait to add more moments to his collection once he finally sets foot into the mysterious world that is waiting for him outside. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Sehyoon should have probably expected it and still he is kind of sad when they step out of the elevator and his eyes fall on all the different robot similar vehicles which according to his brain are called cars. For some reason he had really hoped they would walk to their destination so that he would be able to see some more of the city. The disappointment makes him pout and Chan looks at him with a frown while they walk past some of the vehicles. </p>
<p>“What is it this time?” He eventually asks and stops in front of a black, and—according to Sehyoon’s information—really expensive car. The android just shrugs, making his way towards one of the doors in the back while Chan watches him, his eyebrows slowly crawling higher and higher. “What exactly are you doing right now?” Sehyoon stops perplexed, one foot already inside the vehicle.</p>
<p>“Getting in...?” He tries not to sound as confused as he feels, failing miserably while his brain is feverishly running calculations and analysis on what Chan is trying to tell him with his question. Even though he had been built to be as similar to a human as possible and cater them, that apparently doesn’t mean he can understand them in the same way. Chan sighs, clearly losing his patience and crosses his arms in front of his chest.</p>
<p>“I didn’t call my driver today...” Sehyoon takes his leg out of the car and turns to him. </p>
<p>“Oh.” So that is the problem. “Who will drive us then? You?” </p>
<p>“Of course, not me! I’m the boss here!” He gasps offended and opens the door across from Sehyoon without giving him another glance. The android is confused for some seconds until his system finally finishes its checks and his mouth drops open. </p>
<p>“You didn’t get your driver license yet!” Chan’s face turns red and Sehyoon is proud of himself for finally coming to the right conclusion. A pleased smile on his lips, he gets into the driver’s seat and doesn’t notice the angry stares Chan throws at him from the back of the car. Luckily his brain automatically tells him what he has to do once he touches the steering wheel and soon, he enjoys his new role as a driver while he carefully maneuvers the car out of the maze-like garage. Eventually, they pass the exit and they get greeted by bright light and rain pouring onto the windshield. Sehyoon quickly turns on the windshield wipers, trying his best to not crash the car against the next tree while eagerly wanting to catch a glimpse of a world which he has longed to explore since he opened his eyes for the first time. </p>
<p>They pass streets and tall buildings, people carrying bags and umbrellas while hurrying along to get out of the rain as fast as possible. Sehyoon loves it. Everything is just like he has imagined and he can’t get enough of it, while now and then Chan gives him instructions on where he should go. He has already completely forgotten about their earlier conversation, when Chan speaks up all of a sudden,</p>
<p>“I only didn’t get my driver’s license because I was too busy to...” Sehyoon frowns and glances at the other’s reflection in the rear-view mirror. Chan is looking out of the window, his face emotionless and still Sehyoon’s brain tells him that it’s a facade. He smiles, focusing his attention back on the street before answering,</p>
<p>“That’s okay. You’ve got me to drive you until you’ll have time to get it. I can help you with everything. It’s my purpose.” The car falls silent again, the only noise being the rain that drums against the window and occasionally cars honking. Again, it’s Chan that breaks it, sounding particular vulnerable,</p>
<p>“But do you really want to? Would you really help me with everything?” This time Chan returns Sehyoon’s look that is filled with more concern than he has intended it to be. He wishes he could reach backwards, take Chan’s hand and reassure him that everything would be okay like he does it when the other has a nightmare. Right now, that is not an option though and therefore he only has his voice and words to make Chan feel better again,</p>
<p>“I like helping you.” Chan’s reaction consists of nodding before he averts his eyes again.</p>
<p>“We’re here.” He mumbles not much later and Sehyoon knows that they won’t be talking about this ever again. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>They find themselves in front of a new looking building, the sign over the door telling Sehyoon that it has something to do with engineering. He has no idea what is going on behind the tinted windows but he can’t wait to find out and wants to walk inside, when Chan suddenly grabs his arm and holds him back. </p>
<p>“It’s better if you wait here. I only need you to carry everything from here to the car and later into my laboratory. No need for you to accompany me inside.” Like so often disappointment rushes through Sehyoon and he gives the other a somewhat perplexed look. </p>
<p>“But why? I wanted to find out more about this place!” Chan sighs annoyed.</p>
<p>“You are an android! When will you finally listen to me when I give you an order? I said no and that means no!” He rubs his face with his hand and when he looks back up, he seems more composed again. “Sehyoon...There are other scientists in there. I can’t risk them finding out about you. So, be a good android and wait for me outside okay?” Sehyoon nods ashamed, feeling incredibly bad about his behavior. Chan only wants the best for him while Sehyoon himself is constantly questioning his decisions instead of trusting him like he should. </p>
<p>“Good.” The other gives him a small smile and a pat on the shoulder before he enters the building and disappears from Sehyoon’s sight. </p>
<p>The android is left behind in the rain, only an umbrella in one hand and after letting his eyes wander around his surroundings, he realizes that he feels very connected to the dog in front of a store not too far away. It looks similarly lonely and abandoned, the owner probably getting what they need inside just like Chan. The only difference is that the dog doesn’t even have an umbrella and it doesn’t take long for Sehyoon to decide on what to do. Ignoring Chan’s instructions to stay where he is and wait for him there, he slowly approaches the shivering dog and then carefully holds the umbrella over it. Now he can feel the rain drip onto his hair and clothes, coldly running down his body and soaking everything in water, but he doesn’t mind. After all, Sehyoon is an android so he won’t get sick and a puddle has already formed around the poor dog. The latter raises his head and looks at him with round, thankful eyes before it starts licking Sehyoon’s wet jeans. </p>
<p>“Ahh no need to thank me.” The android says, smiling and then crouching down next to his new friend. “It’s nice to meet you. It’s the first time that I meet a dog actually.” He slowly starts petting the animal’s black fur, enjoying the way his sensors in his fingertips react to the soft material. It feels so different from everything else that he has touched until now and it has a weirdly calming effect on his system. Suddenly it seems to process everything a lot slower... The way the water drips down from his wet hair, how cold his skin feels or how the noise of footsteps quickly becomes louder and louder until—</p>
<p>“Sehyoon! What the hell are you doing?” Chan’s voice makes him turn around startled, the umbrella dropping to the floor and splashing water onto the dog that barks puzzled and then hastily backs away. Meanwhile, Sehyoon returns Chan’s disapproving stare guiltily. </p>
<p>“I...The dog...” He stammers, his system still having problems to function properly so that Chan pulls him up without him even really noticing it. </p>
<p>“Are you crazy? You are a robot but that doesn’t mean you are indestructible!” It is obvious that Chan is mad and this time Sehyoon knows that he has every reason to be. However, he still can’t feel any regrets about having helped the dog or finally having felt the rain on his skin for the first time in his short life. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry...” He apologizes nevertheless, only for a bright grin to spread on his face, “but isn’t rain amazing!” Chan looks at him as if he has lost his mind and then bends down to collect the abandoned umbrella from the ground. </p>
<p>“Yes...And you are soaked!” He tries to push the umbrella back into Sehyoon’s hand but the latter still isn’t done. </p>
<p>“I know exactly how rain works scientifically and still; I can’t help but be amazed by it. This world is so amazing! Isn’t it?” Chan doesn’t answer that question but Sehyoon also doesn’t wait for him to, spreading his arms and looking towards the clouds as if he is trying to embrace it, the raindrops now directly falling onto his face, “You are so lucky to live in it!” The other doesn’t seem to see it the same way though.</p>
<p>“Sehyoon...That’s enough now!” He gets out through gritted teeth, smiling apologetically at the passerby that give them strange glances. When Sehyoon still doesn’t make a move to take the umbrella, he grabs his wrist and roughly pulls him under his own. The android blinks at him confused, his body sensing Chan’s racing heartbeat which is much closer to his own than usual. </p>
<p>“Is everything okay?” He carefully asks, the rain suddenly being second priority since his creator’s health will always come first. Chan gives him an annoyed glance while he guides them towards the car. </p>
<p>“You mean apart from the fact that you are on your worst behavior today?” As always, his argument leaves Sehyoon unfazed. </p>
<p>“Your heart is beating abnormally fast. This could be a sign for a serious heart condition!” He wants to grab Chan’s wrist to take more specific checks but the other pulls it out of his hands.</p>
<p>“It’s nothing! I’m just angry at you, that’s all.” However, when also his face suddenly turns a darker shade of red, that only strengthens Sehyoon’s concern and he tries to think of something that would convince Chan to go to the hospital for treatment. Then they enter a building and the new environment demands too much of Sehyoon’s attention so that he decides to come back to Chan’s possible heart condition at a later time. Instead he looks around with wide, curious eyes. </p>
<p>“What is this place?” He asks Chan who is busy putting the wet umbrellas into a holder next to the entrance. </p>
<p>“This is a café. People come here to drink coffee or tea, meet and chat with friends or to work.” </p>
<p>“Ah...” That sounds interesting in Sehyoon’s opinion and he can’t help but stare at all the people they pass, even though his brain tells him that it’s found to be impolite. The air seems to be buzzing, filled with voices, laughter and soft music. The café is crowded, probably due to the cold weather and Sehyoon automatically asks himself why they have come here. After all Chan hates having people around him. That’s the reason why he has built Sehyoon in the first place. </p>
<p>“Uhm...Why aren’t we driving back home?” He eventually can’t keep his curiosity to himself any longer while he follows Chan to a counter from behind which a middle-aged woman gives them a friendly smile. Chan returns it politely, not answering Sehyoon’s question and focusing on the woman instead. </p>
<p>“Good afternoon, how can I help you?” Her voice is as kind as her smile.</p>
<p>“Hello. I would like to order a large mocha and a small glass of water, please. Oh, and do you perhaps have a towel for my friend?” She nods and then types something into a screen that looks very similar to the ones that Chan has at home. </p>
<p>“Rain caught you pretty badly, huh?” Sehyoon doesn’t realize that the question is directed at him until Chan gives him piercing look. </p>
<p>“Oh...Uh...Yes. Well, technically it’s because I lent my umbrella to a dog and—“ His creator’s disapproving face tells him that he has said too much and he quickly closes his mouth. The woman, however, doesn’t seem to mind his strange tale. </p>
<p>“Aw you must be an animal friend then. People like you are always welcome here!” She gives him a bright smile which Sehyoon returns not any less delighted, followed by Chan paying and her pointing at a small table close to the window. “That one is still free. I’ll bring you the drinks and the towel in a minute.” They both thank her and then sit down, Sehyoon is still unable to take his eyes off everything that is going on around them. </p>
<p>“I love it here!” He announces and Chan replies by throwing an angry glance at him. </p>
<p>“I’m already regretting bringing you...” He mumbles and that finally gets him Sehyoon’s full attention. </p>
<p>“What? Why?” </p>
<p>“All I’m trying to do is keeping people from finding out about you not being human and how do you act in return? You misbehave, ignore my orders and attract as much attention as possible!” Immediately the guilt is back with full force and Sehyoon ashamed observes his hands instead of meeting Chan’s eyes. </p>
<p>“Then why did you bring me here instead of driving home?” He kind of expects the other to ignore his question again and keep on lecturing him instead so he is surprised when Chan answers,</p>
<p>“I won’t let you sit in my expensive car with wet clothes. They would ruin it! And I wanted coffee anyways...” In that moment the woman arrives with their orders and the towel which Chan takes with a grateful nod. However, her attention is entirely on Sehyoon and she observes him with a focused frown until realization makes her face light up like a candle. </p>
<p>“Of course! You look like this one singer but he died a couple of years ago! Ah...Such a tragic story...He was such a talented and handsome young man.” Sehyoon notices Chan shift uncomfortably while he himself has no clue what she is talking about. </p>
<p>“Huh...Thank you?” After all she has indirectly called him handsome. The woman looks like she wants to add some more things but the call of one of her guests makes her smile apologetically before she bustles away. Sehyoon decides to brush off that strange encounter for now and instead looks at Chan who gets up and gestures Sehyoon to turn towards him. The android frowns confused. He reaches out his hands for the towel but Chan pushes them away with an annoyed eye roll. </p>
<p>“Let me do it,” he says, his voice sounding vexed, but the hands that touch Sehyoon’s hair with the towel some seconds later are soft. They rub and pat his head, now and then it even feeling like Sehyoon is getting caressed rather than just dried off. It reminds him of how he had petted the dog’s fur and without really wanting to, his eyes shut close, his sensors simply enjoying the gentle touches. Once his hair is approved to be dry enough, Chan moves on to his back and arms, mumbling curses under his breath about how stupid Sehyoon has acted but still not letting the touches get any rougher. It surprises the android to experience Chan being so gentle. It’s something he has kind of known to be there but never expected to feel on his own body. Then the other suddenly stops and Sehyoon finds himself wanting more; wanting him to keep going just for a little while longer.</p>
<p>His eyes slowly flutter open and he comes face to face with Chan who stares at him with wide eyes, before he quickly backs away and hastily walks towards the counter with the excuse that he wants to give back the towel. Sehyoon stares after him, not liking the way in which his system starts overheating all of a sudden.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The drive back to the apartment is mainly silent just like earlier. After Chan had finished drinking (he had drunken both; the mocha and the water since Sehyoon doesn’t need to drink anything) they had gone to get whatever Chan had ordered. It was hidden inside a big, heavy box and Sehyoon quickly realized why Chan had wanted him to come along and help him carry it. </p>
<p>Luckily Sehyoon is much stronger than a normal human and therefore the way to their apartment isn’t a big challenge, even with the heavy box. Everything works out just fine and they step into their apartment without any problems, when Sehyoon’s security mechanisms detect it; they are not alone. Someone must have managed to enter the apartment while they were gone. </p>
<p>Immediately his brain gives him the order to protect Chan like in the night when he had first found out about the other’s nightmares and he quickly pulls him behind his shielding body. </p>
<p>“Hey! What are you doing?” Chan complains and wants to shake off Sehyoon’s hand but the latter gives him a look that makes him shut up immediately.</p>
<p>“We are not alone.” He explains, whereupon all color fades from Chan’s face. </p>
<p>“W—What do you mean?” Sehyoon presses a finger against his lips to signalise the other to be quiet before carefully taking off his shoes and walking into the apartment. Chan follows him right behind. Sehyoon can feel his hands ghosting over his skin as if he wants to cling onto it but forces himself not to. Usually he would have probably addressed it but right now Sehyoon is completely focused on their surroundings. The intruder could be anywhere; waiting for them to harm Chan and the android can never let that happen. He needs to protect his creator!</p>
<p>Then they eventually step into the living room which is hardly ever getting used and what awaits them there surprises Sehyoon enough to stop dead, followed by Chan colliding with his back. Immediately he starts complaining again but when Sehyoon doesn’t react he goes silent. Meanwhile, the android stares at the intruder, trying to assess the situation. He has expected many things; robbers being in the middle of stealing the huge television, assassins that would throw themselves on them in the try to kill Chan or at least someone waiting for them with a gun. Therefore, his system doesn’t really know what to do once his eyes fall on a man, peacefully sleeping on one of the couches. He has never before heard of a person breaking into other people’s houses just to take a nap. Especially not someone who seems to be dressed in expensive brand clothes form head to toe. </p>
<p>Still, the person is an intruder and this final conclusion makes Sehyoon’s system prepare itself for a violent confrontation. </p>
<p>He focuses on his target and is just about to use some sort of ancient box technique, he hasn’t even known as one of his abilities until some seconds ago, when Chan huffs annoyed and comes out from his hiding behind Sehyoon’s back. The android wants to tell him to go back and stay hidden but Chan is faster, his eyes growing wide when they fall onto the man on the couch. </p>
<p>“Donghun? What the hell are you doing in my house?” Chan’s loud and angry voice doesn’t seem to bother the man and Chan repeats his words while Sehyoon watches the situation in confusion. He should have probably expected his creator to have other people he knows but there is no information in his brain and therefore Sehyoon has never before thought about it. So, who the hell is Donghun?</p>
<p>“Hey!” Chan shouts again and the man on the couch finally starts shifting. Immediately Sehyoon wants to protectively pull the other behind himself again but Chan ignores his grip and walks towards the couch where he takes a pillow and throws it at the Donghun guy, hard. That wakes him with a surprised yelp and he sits up, tiredly blinking at Chan for some seconds until a bright smile spreads on his lips.</p>
<p>“Channi!” He exclaims, opening his arms wide as if he is expecting a hug. Chan doesn’t return the gesture though and only eyes him with an expression that makes it clear that he is not even close to being as happy to see Donghun as the other way round. </p>
<p>“Get out.” It’s an order, one that would have made Sehyoon jump up and do as him told immediately but Donghun seems relaxed, the grin not leaving his face for even a second. </p>
<p>“Aw c’mon. Aren’t you at least a tiny bit excited to see me? It’s been ages!” Chan ignores him and crosses his arms in front of his chest. A sign that he is slowly losing his patience. </p>
<p>“What are you doing here?” He wants to know and Sehyoon eagerly waits for Donghun’s response. After all he wants to know that too.</p>
<p>“Isn’t one allowed to visit their little brother? I was worried about you! You never call.” For some reason that answer makes Chan snort amused before his expression turns cold again. </p>
<p>“Get out!” He repeats his former order but even after the second time Donghun looks unimpressed. </p>
<p>“You want to throw me out after I drove all the way here? I even packed bags!” He points at two black suitcases next to the couch and Sehyoon can’t help but think that they look like he is planning on moving in. “Can’t I stay here for a couple of days?”</p>
<p>“No! Absolutely not!” The idea seems to anger Chan even more and Sehyoon decides to step in before the other might accidentally loses control. </p>
<p>“Uhm...Why don’t you let him stay only until tomorrow?” He asks carefully and immediately the attention of the two brothers is on him, “The apartment is big enough.” Donghun observes him, his eyes full of curiosity before he gives him a grateful smile.</p>
<p>“Thank you. I’m glad at least one person here is considerate of others.” </p>
<p>“Breaking into one’s home isn’t considerate, Donghun.” Chan still looks like he is close to exploding but when Sehyoon walks over to him and puts a comforting hand onto his shoulder, he takes a deep breath. He doesn’t meet either of their eyes when he eventually speaks up again,</p>
<p>“All right. You can stay until tomorrow but then you’ll leave! Sehyoon, show him to his room. There is enough work I have to do so I’ll eat in the laboratory today.” With these words he stomps out of the room. Donghun only shrugs. </p>
<p>“Chan can be difficult sometimes, can’t he?” Once again, he smiles but Sehyoon doesn’t return it. Something about this man is setting off an alarm in him but he can’t tell what exactly it is. The other seems to notice that Sehyoon is already regretting having convinced Chan to let him stay, because he holds out a hand which the android takes hesitantly.</p>
<p>“Thanks for your help. I’m Donghun, Chan’s brother. Nice to get to know you and would you perhaps tell me who is the guy that seems to be able to knock some sense into my little brother?” </p>
<p>“I’m Sehyoon a...friend.” There it is; the problem. This is a situation in which Sehyoon isn’t allowed to tell the truth about himself being an android but one of the basic rules in his brain make him unable to lie. Luckily Donghun doesn’t seem to question his answer too much and only observes him with raised eyebrows before he starts nodding.</p>
<p>“A <em>friend</em>...I’m glad he finally found someone like that.” This time his smile is a little sadder and Sehyoon doesn’t like the shift in the mood which he detects. However, it gets changed quickly when Donghun jumps up and claps his hands together. “So, Chan said you’ll show me my room?” The android nods.</p>
<p>“You can sleep in my room. I never use it anyways since I always stay in Chan’s room for the nights.” Donghun has been in the process of collecting all his belongings but as soon as Sehyoon’s words have left his mouth, he stops dead and then stares at him with wide eyes.</p>
<p>“Ah...Okay.” He says, sounding surprised and the smirk that appears on his face confuses Sehyoon. He decides to just ignore it.</p>
<p>“Follow me please.” He announces instead and makes his way towards his bedroom, followed by Donghun who observes the apartment with an impressed expression. It makes him feel a bit better to know that it seems to have the same effect on everybody, no matter if human or android. </p>
<p>Once they arrive at the room, Sehyoon leads him inside and then gives him a polite smile while Donghun immediately lets himself fall onto the bed with a satisfied groan.</p>
<p>“Ahhh…so soft...” He mumbles.</p>
<p>“You can rest for an hour. I’ll prepare dinner and call you once it’s done.” But Sehyoon doesn’t get an answer and he doesn’t bother to check if Donghun has already fallen asleep again. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm so sorry it took me so long to update but for some reason my brain was convinced I uploaded this chapter ages ago? I only recently noticed that I only posted 2/5 chaps I've written so far so yea... I'm stupid...</p>
<p>Anyway, the dog scene! Omg syd drew the cutest comic of it and I will probably never get over it TT Sehyoon is so cute <br/>Also Sehchan finally getting closer and Donghun showing up! </p>
<p>What do you think is Donghun's (real?) reason to show up in Chan's apartment? I would love to hear your ideas ^^ perhaps some of you will come close? </p>
<p>Also feel free to leave feedback and kudos etc, it means a lot to me! &lt;3</p>
<p>You can find the fanart on my twt acc btw ^^ (@babbl1ng) or on Syd's acc (@5tar_light) (great fanart acc btw!) The comic is something one should see uwu</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello I’m stupid lmao</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sehyoon spends the rest of the evening preparing food. It’s the first time that he has to cook for more than one person but he enjoys it. Donghun enters the kitchen when he is nearly finished but even though he looks like he has a lot of questions, Sehyoon doesn’t feel like he is in a place to answer any of them. Normal humans talk much more than he thought and he finds it a bit overwhelming for his system, which is why he excuses himself with the fact that he needs to bring Chan’s food to his laboratory.</p>
<p>Chan accepts the steaming plate with a grateful nod, apparently having calmed down since earlier, but when Sehyoon doesn’t show any signs of wanting to leave like he usually does, he stops eating and gives him a confused glance with furrowed eyebrows.</p>
<p>“Aren’t you leaving?” The android bites his lower lip, not meeting his eyes. He knows that he isn’t supposed to be here. Chan doesn’t allow it but the thought of Donghun waiting in the kitchen makes him speak up,</p>
<p>“Can’t I stay? Only for some more minutes...” Chan sighs, putting down the plate so that he is able to cross his arms and then shakes his head.</p>
<p>“Sehyoon...You know the rules.” The android nods slowly. He is misbehaving again...He just can’t help it. “Don’t you have better things to do? Go and look at the flower catalog and if you act like a good android, I might order some of them for you tomorrow, all right?” Again, Sehyoon nods but even though that offer is tempting, he doesn’t move an inch. The deeper growing crease on Chan’s forehead tells him that he is running out of ideas how to make Sehyoon listen to him and that it’s frustrating but still...</p>
<p>“He talks so much...” It’s not much louder than a whisper as if Sehyoon is embarrassed to admit it.</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“Donghun he...He talks so much and it confuses me. I don’t like it.” Chan blinks at him for some seconds before a tiny smile grows on his face. It looks like a mix between sympathy and amusement and Sehyoon only stares at it in surprise. That’s not the reaction he has expected. Then Chan suddenly gets up. Apparently, he has decided to shove him out of the room since Sehyoon isn’t leaving on his own. The android closes his eyes, preparing himself to feel Chan’s hand pressing against his chest.</p>
<p>“Are you coming?” Surprise rushes through Sehyoon’s body and he rips open his eyes again. His creator is giving him a questioning glance from where he is waiting by the door and it reminds Sehyoon of their first ever meeting.</p>
<p>“Huh?”</p>
<p>“I’m tired.” Chan explains, “I decided to go to sleep earlier today so...Are you coming?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When Chan rolls over and hugs him that night, it surprises Sehyoon a lot less than it probably should have. He feels like there is something changing between them but he can’t fully grasp what exactly or how that will influence their future.</p>
<p>So, he just holds onto Chan’s body that always feels much smaller when he is asleep, listening to his steady heartbeat while he doesn’t dare to move. It still feels wrong to allow his arms to hold the other but, in the end, all he wants to do is to make Chan happy. Right now, there are a million questions in Sehyoon’s head though and he is longing for answers but he thinks that they can wait until tomorrow. It’s only a couple of hours; only a couple of hours in which he can look at Chan in a way that usually isn’t granted to him.</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>However, through the night everything takes a surprising turn once again. At first Sehyoon only barely detects it; he puts it off as Chan having a bad dream like so often, but when the sun eventually rises, no excuses seem to be satisfying any longer.</p>
<p>Chan’s skin is burning like fire under his fingertips and Sehyoon knows that this is bad. Hastily he gets up, trying to untangle Chan’s trembling limbs from his without waking the other. However, he doesn’t get far and soon there is a hand grabbing his arm, holding onto it with weak fingers but obvious determination.</p>
<p>“Where are you going?” Chan’s hoarse voice is what makes him look at the red, puffy face. Sweat has gathered on the other’s forehead and upper lip and Sehyoon can’t help but place a hand on his burning cheek, sending a cooling wave through his body while Chan watches him through half lidded eyes. He sighs relieved but still doesn’t let go of Sehyoon’s arm.</p>
<p>“Can’t you lay down again? It was so comfortable...It’s cold without you.” He mumbles instead, his voice fading at the end of his sentence while his eyes slowly close themselves.</p>
<p>“Chan, you have a really high fever. I need to find medicine to lower it.”</p>
<p>“I never get sick...” is the only answer he gets, followed by a whine when Sehyoon proceeds to carefully loosen Chan’s fingers around his arm. “You are always acting out of line...Such a bad robot...” Chan’s words are barely audible, slurred from exhaustion and it doesn’t even take an entire minute until Sehyoon’s sensors tell him that he has fallen asleep again.  </p>
<p>Quietly the android leaves the room, making his way through the apartment while he is thinking about what to do next. He knows about human bodies and how dangerous fever can be for them. The thought that Chan is all alone in his huge bed makes uneasiness crawl up his back and Sehyoon walks a bit faster. He has cleaned the apartment many times but never before has he seen medicine anywhere. Does Chan even own medicine? He has said that he doesn’t usually get sick but most people still stock up on essential stuff like medicine, right?</p>
<p>It’s just that Chan isn’t like most people, nor does Sehyoon have any idea where he should start his search. It’s probably faster to just buy new medicine but he doesn’t want to leave Chan’s side for more than a couple of minutes—not with how vulnerable human bodies are. Chan could die while he is gone and that’s the exact thing Sehyoon is supposed to prevent from happening.</p>
<p>Faint noises are what make him hurry towards the living room. He hates the idea of having to ask for help from someone else; that he isn’t capable of protecting his creator on his own like he should be, but the fear of losing Chan is bigger than his pride. Sehyoon needs Donghun’s help. It’s his only option.</p>
<p>With a heavy heart, Sehyoon approaches the living room, entering it and walking closer towards Donghun’s figure on the couch, when his eyes fall on the TV.</p>
<p>The other is watching something like a news report. Sehyoon has seen them on television before, when he watches movies or dramas to kill time and gather information, but the person in the video they are currently showing is Donghun himself and that surprises him enough to stop in his tracks and stare at the screen baffled. There is a woman talking in a monotone voice, explaining to the viewers what kind of people and scenarios they are currently seeing on screen. Donghun has disappeared again and right now there is a man smiling at them, followed by a video of him shaking hands and waving at a crowd. Sehyoon has finally overcome his shock enough to listen to what the woman is saying,</p>
<p>
  <em>“...hard working politician. This is why seeing his son get involved in so many scandals is so disheartening. After recently having being filmed yelling at nightclub guests while clearly being under the influence of drugs, this shocking new footage has taken everyone by surprise.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Yesterday, videos and photographs surfaced that showed him in a rather compromising position with beloved actor Park Junhee. The two of them can be seen holding hands, hugging and even kissing while on what looks to be a romantic rendezvous on a private yacht. </em>
</p>
<p><em>“Junhee’s agency has denied any kind of relationship between the two men, calling this a ‘well played media stunt’ while Lee Donghun has not been seen since he left his parent’s house earlier yesterday.”</em> A new wave of surprise hits Sehyoon while he stares at the pictures. They are blurry but he can clearly make out Donghun’s face, as well as that of a young man who he finds to look extremely familiar. However, the report doesn’t seem to be finished yet,</p>
<p><em>“Once again, the people of our city are asking themselves how the Lee family will handle these new challenges, especially now that Lee Youngchul is one of the most popular candidates for the position as our next mayor. As most of us know, scandals are nothing new to this family. They first entered the limelight after scientist Kang Ji-eun’s former husband died in a tragic accident, leaving behind her and her son, who is rumored to have cut off any kind of contact to his mother some years ago.”</em> Suddenly the screen shows a picture of Chan, apparently taken without him noticing it while he is entering a building. It can’t be a recent photograph. Even though it is clearly Chan, his face looks much younger. It reminds Sehyoon of when he is asleep, and the fact that he is still burning with fever while Sehyoon is hiding in the shadows of the doorway as if he is watching something that he shouldn’t be seeing, makes him fight off the weird daze that has overcome him. He shakes his head to clear his mind, walking closer until even the woman’s voice can no longer drown the sound of his footsteps.</p>
<p><em>“We do not know the legitimacy of those alleged rumors yet, but the footage of Lee Donghun and Park Junhee’s affair is currently under thorough inspection by our team and we will—“</em> As soon as Donghun notices his presence, he turns around with a startled expression, switching off the TV in the process.</p>
<p>“Sehyoon! I didn’t hear you coming in.” The android bows his head apologetically. There is no reason for Donghun to know that he has been quiet on purpose. It’s clear that the other expects him to bring up what they have just seen; to perhaps ask him some questions about it or tell him to leave, but Sehyoon doesn’t have enough time to waste another single thought on the content of the report. He is losing precious time and he needs to get Chan’s medicine as fast as possible.</p>
<p>“I need your help.” He blurts out and Donghun’s eyes widen at how urgent his voice sounds.</p>
<p>“What happened?”</p>
<p>“It’s Chan. He is running a really high fever and I can’t find medicine anywhere!” Immediately Donghun jumps up and grabs his jacket which he must have left on the couch yesterday.</p>
<p>“I’ll go and get some.” He announces without asking any other questions and Sehyoon nods gratefully before they both head into opposite directions; Donghun towards the elevator while Sehyoon hurries back to Chan.</p>
<p>He grabs a bowl and a cloth on his way, quickly filling it with cold water inside Chan’s bathroom before he sits back down next to the small figure. Chan’s breathing is flatter and faster than usual and his skin is still burning hot, sweat having soaked his pajamas and bed sheets.</p>
<p>Carefully, Sehyoon places the wet cloth onto his forehead and when Chan starts quietly whimpering at that, he gently caresses his hot cheeks and damp hair.</p>
<p>“It’s all right”, he mumbles, “I’m right here and you’ll be okay.” Sehyoon doesn’t expect Chan to hear him but he tries to convince himself that his whimpering gets quieter at his words. He hopes that Donghun will be back soon with the needed medicine.</p>
<p>The fever makes him feel powerless since all he can do is watch Chan fight against it on his own. It’s a similar situation as with his nightmares just that when Chan is having a bad dream, he can comfort and calm him. Meanwhile the fever is something that could kill Chan without Sehyoon being able to do anything about it. That thought makes tears gather in his eyes and when the first salty pearl rolls down his cheek, he touches it in surprise. It’s shimmering on his fingertips and Sehyoon looks at it astounded. He wasn’t aware that he is able to cry.</p>
<p>Sehyoon soaks the cloth in the water again, putting it back onto Chan’s forehead, when the latter slowly opens his eyes. He doesn’t seem able to focus them on anything and even after they find Sehyoon, it looks like he is looking through him instead of at him.</p>
<p>“Sehyoon?” His voice is hoarse and weak but the android’s ears are better than human ones so that he doesn’t miss it.</p>
<p>“Yes?” He quickly brushes away his tears. Chan isn’t supposed to see him cry. After all it won’t help him and Sehyoon should be his strong protector, especially right now.</p>
<p>“My mom...Have you seen her?” That question catches him off guard and he looks at Chan in confusion. What is he supposed to answer? His mother? He hasn’t even thought about the fact that as a normal human being Chan must have parents since he has never mentioned them before. Suddenly he feels stupid but again, he doesn’t have time for thoughts like that right now.</p>
<p>“No, I haven’t seen your mom. Should I call her? Do you want me to get her?” He expects Chan to nod. After all, as far as he knows most humans love their parents so he gets surprised once again, when Chan’s eyes widen in horror.</p>
<p>“No!” He exclaims, this time louder and his breathing becomes faster while his hands clench to fists. Sehyoon doesn’t really know how to react, not having expected such a reaction and decides to soothingly rub his arm like he does it, when Chan wakes up from nightmares but instead of calming down the other grabs his shirt and pulls him closer, staring at him with wide, panicked eyes.</p>
<p>“You have to keep her away from me! She wants to kill me! She’ll kill you too, just like she murdered him!” Sehyoon has no idea what Chan is talking about, but he had read that dreaming with a fever can become a lot more realistic and frightening, so he blames Chan’s paranoid warning on that.</p>
<p>“She is not here, don’t worry.” He assures Chan who slowly calms down at that. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, Chan. I promise.” The other looks at him with wide eyes and Sehyoon wants nothing more than to pull him into his arms.</p>
<p>“It’s so cold...And my head hurts.” He whimpers and Sehyoon notices that his limbs are shaking. Confused he replaces the cloth on his forehead with his hand but Chan’s skin is still burning as hot as before. It might have gotten even worse. Again, the other pulls at his shirt but less forcefully this time.</p>
<p>“Can’t you stay with me? Please stay with me.” He sounds like a child and Sehyoon knows that he could never refuse him any wishes in his current state. Not that he plans on going anywhere.</p>
<p>“Of course, I will stay. I’ll always stay right next to you.” He puts the bowl aside and against all his rules, climbs into the bed next to Chan, pulling his burning body against his. The other sighs contently, trembling less even though only slightly, while he snuggles himself closer to Sehyoon.</p>
<p>“Don’t leave...” Are his last words before he passes out once again, the exhaustion from moving and speaking finally having caught up to him.</p>
<p>“Never.” Sehyoon whispers into his sticky hair, carefully rubbing his back while he prays for Donghun to finally show up with the urgently needed medicine.</p>
<p>This is how Donghun finds them not much later, bursting through the door. Still heavily panting, he holds up a small bag and doesn’t even comment on their current position before crossing the room and handing it to Sehyoon, who carefully sits up.</p>
<p>“The pharmacist said, he needs to swallow one pill per hour until his temperature is back to normal. Apparently, it usually doesn’t take more than three hours.” Sehyoon nods and then observes the small package before he points at an empty glass on Chan’s bedside table.</p>
<p>“Can you fill this with water?” Donghun does so without saying anything and then watches him carefully trying to wake Chan by caressing his hair and cheeks. He groans, his empty hands searching for Sehyoon’s arms only to hold onto them tightly.</p>
<p>“Channie...” The nickname slips past his lips without Sehyoon even noticing it, “It’s time for your medicine.”</p>
<p>“I want to sleep...” Chan only whines.</p>
<p>“And you can, after you’ve taken your medicine.” Unrelenting but still gently, Sehyoon forces him to sit up far enough to swallow the pill and gulp down some water. Then Sehyoon helps him lay back down, where he immediately falls asleep again, his hands still holding onto his arm. Sehyoon watches him with fond eyes, relief replacing his former worry once he notices the fever slowly going down.</p>
<p>He has already forgotten about Donghun, when the latter awkwardly clears his throat.</p>
<p>“I guess, I’m no longer of use here. Call me if you need anything. I would try to cook lunch but it’s probably better if we order something.” Sehyoon nods and then gives him a grateful smile.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” he says but Donghun dismisses it with a wave of his hand.</p>
<p>“There is no reason to thank me. I could save his life a thousand times and I would still not be able to pay off my debt.” That makes Sehyoon frown confused.</p>
<p>“Your debt?” But Donghun only gives him a sad smile before he leaves the room.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I’d love to hear your opinions and theories uwu 💕</p>
<p>You can follow me on Twitter (@babbl1ng) </p>
<p>Also make sure to check out the amazing fanart @5tar_light drew for this fic! You can find the thread <a href="https://twitter.com/5tar_light/status/1218459974915035136?s=21">Here!</a> 😊</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hello~</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Hours pass and Sehyoon spends them by watching the sun slowly move from one side of the window to the other. Nothing disturbs the silence that falls over the apartment after the incident in the morning, except for Chan waking up long enough for Sehyoon to somehow get him to drink some water, as well as managing to slip a fever pill in between, before Chan passes out again. At some point Donghun also shows up to bring Sehyoon some food but it remains untouched; resting on the desk since the android doesn’t need to eat. Not that he would have felt in the mood to anyway.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He regularly checks on Chan’s body condition and the fact that after four hours, both his temperature and his breathing have normalized again, seems to lift a heavy weight off his shoulders. Chan is no longer in critical condition which finally allows Sehyoon to let his thoughts wander more freely again. There are many chores he has been unable to fulfill today but he hopes that Chan will forgive him considering the circumstances. After all he has cleaned the apartment not too long ago and there has been no need for him to cook. However, his plants could need some watering and it would probably also be better to prepare something light for Chan to eat once he wakes up. His body needs a lot of energy, especially now after having fought against such a bad fever.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sehyoon looks at the other who is lying with the back towards him, his face buried into his blanket so that only his hair is showing.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chan?” He whispers but as expected, he doesn’t get an answer. Still, he feels bad to leave without telling him, “I’ll go and cook you some dinner, all right? I’ll wake you when it’s done.” Again, there is no reply but Sehyoon doesn’t expect one and he carefully gets up and sneaks out of the room.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The corridors are as silent as the rest of the apartment and Sehyoon can’t help but ask himself what has happened to Donghun. Is he in his room? Or did he perhaps leave? He thinks back to their weird exchange after Donghun gave him the medicine. What did he mean by saying he could never repay his debt towards Chan?</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sehyoon knows it’s not something he should think about too hard. He is here to work and to take care of Chan instead of mingling into his personal life. However, he doesn’t even try to get his thoughts under control. Chan can’t read his mind so how should he find out?</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s just that for the first time, Sehyoon has gotten reminded that there isn’t much he knows about his creator. While Chan has built him and filled his chip with selected information, he also has made it very clear to Sehyoon that he isn’t in a position to ask him about his life. Until now Sehyoon always simply accepted it. He is an android; he was built to follow his creator’s commands but Chan set up this rule, before he even met Sehyoon, and haven’t they gotten much closer since then? Also, isn’t it normal to care about the people you are close to?</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He thinks back to how scared Chan looked when he told him to stay away from his mother and a new wave of confusion hits Sehyoon. His system tries to make sense of everything with the little information he got but they don’t want to fit together like two wrong puzzle pieces. He has always thought that children love their mothers so why has Chan apparently cut off any ties to her and even sounded horrified?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sehyoon is still thinking about this, absentmindedly filling a watering can to take with him on the rooftop, when the loud ringing of the doorbell makes him look up surprised. Had Donghun left the house earlier? But why is he ringing the doorbell if he clearly knew the passcode the last time?</span>
  
</p>
<p><span>He carefully puts the watering can onto the counter and then makes his way towards the door. Perhaps he can ask Donghun to help him with dinner so that he can find the right timing to talk to him about the report on the TV. It simply doesn’t sit right with him that Donghun hasn’t told them his real reason for coming to Chan’s house and Sehyoon will definitely tell his creator about it once his condition allows it.</span> <span>He can decide what to do with Donghun then.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>With this decision in mind, he reaches the door. Sehyoon doesn’t even bother to take a look at the security cam, before he opens it and scans the person’s face, followed by his system simply shutting down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <strong>(…)</strong>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…you all right?” Sehyoon blinks confused, while his eyes slowly refocus and his system reboots. The man in front of him looks clearly concerned and Sehyoon asks himself for how long he was gone. Hopefully not much longer than a couple of seconds. A lifeless body tends to easily scare humans. He clears his throat to test his speaking system and then nods.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, I’m fine. I was just…surprised.” And that’s the truth. Though Donghun knows the passcode, Sehyoon had been pretty sure that it was him waiting in front of the door instead of a man that statistic and survey-wise counts as one of the most beautiful men of this decade. Because it’s not the first time that Sehyoon has seen this face. He has watched him countless times on the TV, the most recent occasion having been this morning, when he caught Donghun secretly watching the news report. Now that the man is identified, there is only one question left,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What brings you here?” At his question, Park Junhee starts shifting uneasily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I…Donghun…He told me the address…I…” He stops and then takes a shaky breath, “I don’t know where else to go…” Sehyoon doesn’t really know if it’s the distant sound of approaching footsteps or the way in which the actor’s eyes shine with desperate tears but he nods and then reaches out a hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s all right, come inside. Perhaps we can find a solution in the living room.” A sniffle escapes Park Junhee and he wipes away some scattered tears, before he gratefully takes Sehyoon’s hand, who guides him towards the living room. Sehyoon doesn’t know why he doesn’t mind the physical contact. After all, touching humans isn’t listed as things he should do but Park Junhee’s trembling legs probably wouldn’t have made it into the living room otherwise, where he falls onto the couch with a relieved sigh. Sehyoon is just about to ask him if he wants something to drink, when Donghun appears in the doorway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jun-ah?” He asks surprised, clearly not having expected the actor here either, before he runs forward and throws himself into Junhee’s widely opened arms. Sehyoon watches the incident with a frown, trying to make sense of everything that is happening. He should really ask Chan to upgrade his system. He always feels like he is way behind everybody else.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Fuck, Junhee, I was so worried! You didn’t text me back!” Sehyoon watches how the actor wraps his arms even tighter around Donghun’s neck. The latter’s back is too broad for him to make out more of Junhee but since his voice sounds muffled, he figures that he has pressed his face against Donghun’s chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I really wanted to but my agent was so mad…He told my manager to take my phone away until they managed to take down the pictures. They want me to stay low ‘till the scandal dies down but there are so many reporters and fans in front of my building.” Junhee stops talking and again, a small sniffle fills the silence, followed by Donghun pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “I didn’t know where to go and then I saw your messages, so I came here…I’m sorry…” Donghun shakes his head and Sehyoon notices himself feeling weirdly out of place. This seems to be an intimate moment and he is standing right next to the couple, observing them and how they act towards each other as if he is watching an interesting drama. To his defense, it’s the first time he sees an actual couple up close and it will help him to fit in better later on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pssst…” Donghun is leaning his head against Junhee’s now. “There is nothing you have to apologize for. It’s all my fault. It was my idea even though you told me that it could be dangerous but I convinced you…I’ll talk to Chan. I’m sure he’ll understand and—“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y’all are having fun?” The cool voice makes the three of them turn around startled and even Sehyoon believes to feel his heart beat faster. Not that he thinks his robotic heart is capable of doing such a thing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chan is casually leaning in the doorway, watching them with an emotionless expression on his face. Sehyoon’s body tenses. Though Chan seems to be calm, he knows him well enough to notice his lightly clenched jaw which means that on the inside, there is an angry storm raging. Without really realizing it, Sehyoon  shifts in front of the alarmed looking couple which doesn’t go unnoticed. His creator’s eyes widen in something that must be betrayal and he clenches his hands to fists whereupon his alleged composure gets some cracks, while his eyes flicker from Sehyoon to Donghun and Junhee and back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chan-ah, I can explain…” Donghun speaks up after a moment, but he gets silenced by a snarky huff from Chan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you really think you could lie to me? I was already asking myself what’s taking the media so long… I’ve known about your new </span>
  <em>
    <span>slut</span>
  </em>
  <span> for more than two months now.” By the way that Donghun jumps up at this, Sehyoon figures that the unknown word Chan used to talk about Junhee must have been something really bad and his head starts swimming. He is supposed to be on Chan’s side but the rules tell him that insulting other people isn’t something he should do nor let others get away with either. Just on whose side is he supposed to be?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What did you just call him?” Donghun’s face is red in anger and wouldn’t it be for Junhee holding onto his arm and begging him to sit down again, Sehyoon is pretty sure that he would walk right over to Chan, who observes his reaction with a cocked head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I called him a slut… So what? It’s all over the internet, you should see what others are calling him. Why? Do you suddenly care about the people you fuck? Or do you at least pretend to until your father finds out about it and you throw them away because money will always be more important to you than anything else?” Again, Donghun wants to move forward but Junhee only holds on even tighter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t!” He begs, while Donghun fights against his grip.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He called you a slut, that bastard!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Many people see me that way…It doesn’t matter!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course it matters!” Donghun’s voice is loud and easily fills the entire room. There are tears in his eyes but Sehyoon can’t say if they are of anger, frustration or a mix of both. He wipes them away furiously, still staring at Chan who watches them with a spiteful smile. Sehyoon’s system starts overheating again. He has seen Chan being angry and stubborn in the past but never before has he acted like the villains Sehyoon always thought only exist in fictional worlds. He didn’t know humans could be so cruel towards others and especially not his sweet Channie, who had seemed so close to death only a couple of hours ago. Indeed, now that Sehyoon is paying more attention to it, he can see how much Chan relies on the wall for support and how pale his face is. He needs to rest and perhaps that will also put his thoughts in order again. However, Donghun’s next words make Sehyoon shift his attention back to the couple behind him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t do anything against these assholes online, the news sites or my father but I won’t stand by while my own brother harasses you, too! And you… you shouldn’t smile like this, when there is nobody to protect you, Yuchan!” But Chan’s smile only grows bigger and Sehyoon hates that he is the reason for his confidence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let that be my concern… Anyway…” He turns to Junhee who returns his amused stare with cold eyes. “You are Park Junhee?” Chan obviously already knows the answer and therefore doesn’t wait for the other to respond, “Tell me, what is so special about you that made my stepbrother ditch his father after having been his lap dog for so long? It can’t be your beauty… I think he had prettier ones before you…Mmmmh… Perhaps you are an even better lap dog than him?” Chan laughs in a way that Sehyoon doesn’t recognize from him but that makes his body turn cold, before he continues, “You sure must be listening well, whenever you—“ but Chan never finishes his sentence, because Donghun finally manages to free himself from Junhee’s grip and crosses the room in a surprisingly fast speed. Had Sehyoon not been an android, he probably wouldn’t have made it in time nor would he have seen a reason to. Chan has acted like a brat so he deserves a punishment. However, Sehyoon is not a human and there is one rule that he can never ignore; he needs to protect Chan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That rule is it, what makes him move out of reflex and in a speed that won’t ever be human; throwing himself between his creator and Donghun, who stares at him baffled, when his fist doesn’t hit Chan’s face but gets caught by Sehyoon’s left hand instead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“H—How…?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, here.” Sehyoon says, ignoring his puzzled face and lets go of his hand, before he quickly turns around and grabs Chan’s wrist. The latter’s former triumphant expression falls, realizing too late what is about to happen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sehyoon, you can’t—!” But the android gives him an angry glance that shuts him up immediately, while he drags him out of the room and towards the kitchen. Once they reach it, he picks Chan up as if he doesn’t weigh more than a feather and puts him down on one of the counters. After making sure the other sits securely, he turns around and fills a glass with water, pressing it into Chan’s hands who stares at him with a face flushed in anger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Drink,” Sehyoon orders, and repeats when Chan opens his mouth to protest. “Drink!” His creator gives him a sulky glance but takes a sip nevertheless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> android, you shouldn’t be ordering me around like this!” He snarls once he has emptied the entire glass and Sehyoon goes to refill it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you are not healthy yet, so you shouldn’t be walking around like this either!” They stare each other down for a couple of seconds until Chan seems to remember that this is a fight that he cannot win. Sehyoon isn’t human, he doesn’t need to blink, but Chan does. He groans in frustration, focusing his eyes on the glass in his hands which makes him look like an angry, rebellious teenager that has just gotten caught sneaking out of the house to go to an illegal house party. Sehyoon has seen that face in a couple of movies before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What you did wasn’t right…” He begins, but just like every teenager in the movies, Chan doesn’t want to listen to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why did you let him inside the house? Why did you protect them instead of me?” Like earlier his voice and eyes are full of betrayal but even though it hurts to see Chan like this, after having been the one to break his trust, Sehyoon also knows that he doesn’t regret it and would do it the same way again. Yes, there are rules he is breaking but if he has learned one thing while being alive for the last couple months, then it’s that one can never make difficult decisions without breaking at least one of them. Because of that, Sehyoon decides to not answer Chan’s question and ask a counter question instead,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why did you behave like that? It wasn’t fair.” His creator huffs in disbelief.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How can you know, what’s fair? The world isn’t fair! And you should finally learn to just do your job and stick to the fucking rules!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What use is there in sticking to rules, if I’m the only one following them? Why should I not lie or let you walk all over me and others, even though you were the one who told me to always be kind? You are right, I’m only a machine and I might not fully understand what is fair and what isn’t, but it should concern you that I know better than you, a human, that this isn’t fair! Not at all!” Never before has Sehyoon spoken as loud as right now. The power of his voice is as much of a shock to him as to Chan, who stares at him with an open mouth and wide eyes. Sehyoon can’t predict what his reaction will be. If he thinks about it, he has given up on predicting human’s actions a long time ago. They simply never seem to make sense and, when he suddenly feels soft finger tips touching his cheek, that proves his observation once again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chan’s eyes are still wide but now they look softer and more like the ones Sehyoon is so familiar with. Suddenly he feels bad for yelling at the other like this, especially, because he is still sick and needs to rest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry… I crossed a line…” Sehyoon apologizes, trying to not focus too much on Chan’s fingers that are softly caressing his cheek now. This is really out of character for the other and Sehyoon thinks about what he should do, if Chan decides to shut him down after he has stated his opinion like this. To his surprise, Chan only shakes his head weakly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No…It’s my fault.” He says and these words nearly force Sehyoon’s system to reboot like earlier. After all, there must have been an error. He couldn’t have heard right. Chan, admitting to a mistake? No way. But the other keeps on talking, seemingly not noticing Sehyoon’s confusion,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I built you, because I wanted someone who is equal to me. I wanted you to be as human as possible but at the same time I ignored the fact that this wouldn’t work as long as I also expect you to do exactly as I tell you…” Chan sighs, closing his eyes, before he opens them again and gives Sehyoon a sad look. “I just thought that without the rules, I would lose you too. Everybody betrays me eventually…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No…” Sehyoon shakes his head and takes Chan’s hand into his, squeezing it gently. “I told you, I’ll stay by your side. But that doesn’t mean I will just stand by when you hurt others.” His creator’s expression can only be described as amazed and Sehyoon notices his face heating up unnaturally.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I did a way better job at building you than I thought. Probably a too good one…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Does that mean you’ll go back and apologize to your brother and Junhee?” Sehyoon wants to know and immediately the stubbornness returns to Chan in the form of a pout.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Stepbrothe</span>
  </em>
  <span>r! Also, why should I? They simply broke into my house!” He earns a patient but determined look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I asked Junhee inside. If you should call someone a slut, that would be me.” Not that Sehyoon has any idea what that word means by now. Chan’s face turns bright red.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I would never call you a…a slut…!” He sounds defensive, nearly embarrassed, and that’s what signalizes the android that he has as good as won this fight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then don’t call other people that either. Go and apologize and afterwards invite them for dinner. You need food to get healthy and stronger again.” Chan clearly doesn’t seem like he wants to follow Sehyoon’s orders but after battling with himself for some seconds, he eventually sighs in defeat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright…” He mumbles, throwing Sehyoon a sulky look that makes it clear that he will stay mad at the android for the rest of the evening. He jumps off the counter, his still-wobbly legs not having enough time to get used to the sudden weight so that he falls into Sehyoon’s arms who catches him and eyes him concerned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perhaps it’s better if I carry you…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No!” Chan exclaims and tries to escape Sehyoon’s hands which doesn’t work considering the fact that Sehyoon is a lot faster than him. “I swear, if you carry me into this room right now, you’ll regret it!” The android only laughs at the threat, feeling relieved at how much more like Chan he sounds again. However, Sehyoon also respects his wish and hands him his arm to hold onto instead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Make it a good and sincere apology or I’ll change my mind and pick you up right in front of them.” He whispers into his ear, not giving Chan enough time to glance at him angrily again, before he opens the door and lets him face his fate. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>wuuuups I kinda forgot to update :") sorry about that. Just know that I used the time to write ^^</p>
<p>Sigh... where to begin... Chan acting like a total asshole, Sehyoon being a badass and calling him out or Dongjun being adorable cuties and making my heart hurt? Also the sehchan moment oooof <br/>A lot happened in this chapter but yaaay, finally Junhee! Now only Kwannie is still missing but I promise, he will show up eventually too :D</p>
<p>As always feel free to leave some feedback or kudos~ You can also scream at me on Twitter of course (@babbl1ng) ^^</p>
<p>Stay healthy and see you soon~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Chan doesn’t hug him that night. It shouldn’t be bothering Sehyoon, after all the hugging isn’t something that they should be doing in the first place, but the android can’t help but feel lonely without the physical contact. There is no steady heartbeat against his own that distracts him from the silence and the thoughts that are constantly circling in his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sehyoon sighs softly, shifting in the chair to which he has gotten downgraded again. Chan hasn’t spoken another word to him after the incident earlier. Instead he simply disappeared in his laboratory while Sehyoon prepared dinner. Donghun and Junhee watched him work in uncomfortableness; the actor repeating again and again that he could just leave, even after Chan’s apology and invitation to stay, but Sehyoon only shook his head every time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’ll come around. He’s gotten so used to shutting everybody out that he finds it scary to let people get closer to him again.” Sehyoon still doesn’t know if that’s true but Junhee clearly had felt better after his explanation. Later they had eaten in silence and since Sehyoon didn’t allow Chan to return to work in his condition, the other had angrily stomped into his room, however not without leaving the door open for Sehyoon to follow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence in the apartment seems to get less and less bearable with every passing minute. Though Chan’s steady breathing calms his fast running system at least a bit, it’s not enough and Sehyoon starts feeling restless. He wants to do something; make himself useful in any way and the first thing that comes to his mind is the rooftop. Because of Junhee’s arrival and everything that had followed, he completely forgot about watering his plants. Oh, just the thought of his friends feeling thirsty and as lonely as him is unbearable and he carefully gets up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As quietly as possible, Sehyoon makes his way towards the kitchen, where he takes the abandoned watering can. It’s only half full but he is scared that the noises of him completely filling it could wake the others and therefore he decides to divide the water fairly for now and then bring more in the morning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, once he reaches the rooftop, he notices in surprise that the door is standing open, letting in the mildl night air. Slowly Sehyoon steps outside, thanks to his mechanical eyes easily making out the person who sits huddled together on one of the benches in the darkness, looking down at the ocean of city lights. He can’t help but smile softly, when he recognizes who it is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really beautiful view, huh?” At his question Junhee jumps startled and then turns around, trying to make Sehyoon out in the darkness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S…Sehyoon? Or are you Yuchan?” The android doesn’t think that their voices sound even remotely similar but he also can’t blame Junhee for his confusion. Human ears are pretty bad and they have known each other for not even a day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s Sehyoon.” He says, not missing the way Junhee’s body relaxes, before he flips a switch and the rooftop gets illuminated by multiple fairy lights. The other blinks surprised and for a second Sehyoon feels bad for not having warned him. He often forgets how easily humans get blinded since their eyes take longer to adjust to new lighting conditions. “Sorry…Should I turn them off again?” Junhee quickly shakes his head, staring at his surroundings with wide eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! It’s beautiful! Who planted all of these?” He points at the flowers and plants around them that until now had been hidden by the dark, though they are taking up most of the space on the rooftop. Sehyoon feels how his system begins working faster at Junhee’s excitement. Usually he is the only one coming up here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did…” He admits bashfully, slightly raising the watering can, “They help me to feel less lonely sometimes…” Junhee’s expression is full of sympathy and understanding when he nods. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can imagine that…Even when one is in the same place with the stars that doesn’t make it less lonely…” Sehyoon feels like there is a lot on the actor’s mind and the way he spaces out again and again only proves that theory. He wants to help Junhee but at the same time living with Chan has taught him that it’s never good to push someone and therefore Sehyoon puts his original plan into action and begins watering the plants while Junhee watches him from his place on the bench. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is Chan asleep?” He asks after some time of silence and Sehyoon nods. “You couldn’t sleep?” Follows a second question, whereupon he gives Junhee a warm smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just like you I think…A lot on my mind…” This time it’s the actor who nods. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea…On mine too…” They fall silent again, Sehyoon dividing his last drops of water evenly, before the can is finally empty and he puts it down next to the door. Then he turns back around, observing Junhee with a thoughtful expression. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to be by yourself some more or do you want me to stay? One of my traits is being a really good listener you know. I have great ears.” At this Junhee chuckles amused and Sehyoon is glad that he could wipe away the sad expression on his face, even though only for a couple of seconds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never heard anyone talking about themselves like this. It’s like you are trying to sell a product or something.” Sehyoon grins. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well just know that my service is free for tonight.” He doesn’t know why the other’s face turns slightly pink at this but since he is not declining his offer, Sehyoon carefully walks closer until he eventually sits down, leaving some space between them so Junhee doesn’t feel uncomfortable. For a while, they sit in silence like this; looking onto the city, the only noises being the wind that carries the faint sounds of honking cars and ambulance sirens up to the rooftop. It is late at night but if Sehyoon has learned one thing then it’s that the city never sleeps. Just like he himself; always wide awake and full of thoughts and energy. Next to him Junhee huffs, apparently also deep in thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know the first time I met Donghun it was a night just like this…” He throws a shy glance at Sehyoon who signalizes him that he is listening, “Insomnia is a bitch. I got hungry so I decided to go and get some snacks…and perhaps also some alcohol since I was already at it. Being in the public eye is a fucking nightmare but at night nobody really pays attention to you…” Sehyoon doesn’t really know what to reply to this. Neither do many people know him nor has he ever drunk alcohol. He doesn’t drink anything at all actually and there is also no alcohol to be found in their apartment since Chan calls it “brain-destroying-devil-water”. Luckily Junhee doesn’t expect him to say anything. Sehyoon figures that people like him simply need someone to just listen to them for once. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ahh…What an awful night…I remember wearing this really cozy hoodie. Honestly, I don’t even know where I got it from but I’m pretty sure it was super expensive and I had just left the store again when this idiot ruined it by throwing up all over it. Seriously, it was disgusting! I should have just walked away but he started apologizing in such a sincere tone that I ended up calling a taxi for him…Yea anyway that was the first time Donghun and I met.” Sehyoon stares at him in surprise whereupon Junhee starts laughing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, it feels great to finally be able to tell someone about it! Donghun still doesn’t want to believe my story because he can’t remember a thing, but it happened! I would have recognized the son of such an important politician as Lee Youngchul anywhere. An actor needs to know famous faces; connections are everything in this work branch.” Sehyoon nods as if that is something everybody should know but Junhee doesn’t even see it, being too focused on the view. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The second time…Or well, first if you ask Donghun, we met at a charity event. There is probably nothing more boring in this world but watching him dance was kinda entertaining. He embarrassed himself so much but I think that was his goal. His father looked really pissed. I remember Donghun coming to my table later… Honestly I knew that he is a player; always picking up beautiful women, you know what I mean.” Sehyoon blinks confused. He does in fact not know what Junhee is referring to but he takes a note to look it up later. The other doesn’t seem to notice his confusion, simply keeping on talking, clearly happy to finally get the entire story off his chest,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, you probably get why I wasn’t that impressed by him at first. There are enough people trying to manipulate me and ruin my image and because of that it’s hard for me to trust others. Which makes it even more confusing to me why I’m telling you all of this.” This time it’s Junhee who gives him a confused glance while Sehyoon returns it with a small smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you, I’m a good listener.” That seems to be a good enough answer for the actor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea… so he kept on talking and talking about science and beauty and I think it was an attempt to compliment me but that evening my brain had stopped working after like the sixth glass of wine…I felt super hot and uncomfortable and I think that was easy to notice, because Donghun suddenly asked me if we should go somewhere else. If I wouldn’t have been drunk and he wouldn’t have looked so handsome that evening, I would have never said yes but well… In the end we didn’t go to his apartment like I had expected and he took me to KFC instead; forced food into me because he had noticed that I had hardly eaten anything at the stupid event. God, how much I hate dieting…” Junhee’s voice fades while he seems to drown in memories. However, Sehyoon realizes that he wants him to keep talking. The story about Donghun and Junhee meeting is a lot more intriguing than he has expected, especially because it seems so different from all the love stories he has read about in books or seen on TV.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So how did you two…end up together?” He asks carefully, scared to push Junhee too much so that he would change his mind and tell him to leave after all. Luckily that doesn’t happen and Junhee only softly shakes his head as to clear his mind, before he continues, a smile on his lips,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was really sweet actually. The day after the event, I woke up with a bad headache but most of my memories were still intact as well as a new number in my phone. Donghun texted me a good morning and then asked me how I was feeling and he hasn’t stopped doing that since, whenever we are apart. I think, if it had been another guy, I would have ignored him but he seemed so…genuinely interested in my actual wellbeing. We started texting every day and while we both began opening up more to each other, I realized that he was nothing like the media portrayed him…Or perhaps he is just really good at hiding that side of him.” Junhee chuckles and Sehyoon joins him. He has only seen a small portion of the media’s view on Donghun but he agrees that the guy he met seems to be an entirely different human. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We met up a couple of times but it took Donghun giving me flowers for me to realize that they had been dates. I hadn’t expected him to still be interested in me after I told him...well, everything about myself...Showed him my flaws and weird habits. He accepted them all and he still never complains whenever I sing in the shower, I accidentally spill coffee over his work or he has to stay awake because of me at night...” Junhee’s voice drifts off and Sehyoon’s mind wanders to Chan; waking up screaming and crying in the middle of the night. He can’t help but ask himself if Junhee perhaps has a similar problem. Does he also get nightmares that haunt him and only Donghun is strong enough to fight the monsters off?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Donghun really showed me that no matter how hard I try, I’ll never be able to be perfect and suit everybody and that that’s fine. I nearly killed myself trying to do just that and I think in some ways he saved me, though he always says he only helped me to save myself.” Junhee gets up, slowly walking towards one of the flower beds to observe them more closely and Sehyoon already thinks that he has finally finished his story now, when he speaks up again, </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes it’s difficult with him, of course...He can be extremely stubborn, once he sets his mind on something. It’s difficult to talk sense into him...But you probably know the struggle...Yuchan must be difficult to deal with, too, sometimes. For the fact that they aren’t related by blood, they seem really similar in so many ways.” He chuckles, sniffing on a rose before he turns back towards Sehyoon with a smile, “But no matter how difficult they can be, it still doesn’t change the fact that we love them, right? I hope I’m not crossing a line when I say that you two look lovely together.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sehyoon blinks at the actor in confusion while his system processes his words and the implications behind them. It takes him exactly fifteen seconds for the final information to reach the control centre in his brain and he widens his eyes and hastily shakes his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We are not in any kind of romantic relationship.” He explains, whereupon Junhee gives him a partly surprised, partly amused look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to keep it a secret in front of us. We won’t tell anybody! To be honest, I knew from the first time I saw you two together, though the situation wasn’t very convenient. The way you look at him...It’s just obvious that you are in love. I know what I’m talking about, I’ve studied a lot of human expressions for my acting and also, I’ve been in love myself. Still am actually.” Sehyoon’s system is still working on full blast, trying to make sense of everything and come up with a good reply. In the end it’s curiosity that wins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it really obvious?” Junhee nods, grinning brightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yea. It was written over your entire body that you would do everything to protect him. However, at the same time you also didn’t let him get away with his rude behavior...It’s obvious just how much you care about him. Oh, and Donghun also mentioned that you sleep together.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chan often gets nightmares...” Sehyoon mumbles, for some reason feeling like he has to defend himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, just know that he looks at you with the same expression...You two can be really happy that you’ve found each other.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Long after their conversation, Sehyoon still can’t stop thinking about it. Junhee went to sleep over an hour ago, thanking Sehyoon for his company and making him promise to try and sleep soon too, but Sehyoon doesn’t move from his spot on the bench. He has hoped to feel calmer after watering his plants but instead his head seems to get louder with questions and confusing thoughts with every passing day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He attempts to sort them but in the end, the lack of answers makes him scream into the night air in frustration, feeling tears prickling behind his eyes. Sehyoon isn’t used to being loud and he can’t really tell if he likes it yet but he does have to admit that it’s weirdly satisfying. At least it helps to calm his mind a tiny bit; enough for him to get up and make his way inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s not even past five, but Sehyoon needs answers or else his head will explode which is why he finds himself in front of Chan, still peacefully sleeping. Carefully, he crawls next to him onto the bed, tracing the curve of his nose, lips and cheekbones with his eyes for some time, before he stretches out a hand to stroke his hair. Love...Is that really what he is feeling? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chan... Wake up...” Sehyoon shakes Chan’s shoulder who only groans and curls himself into a ball without opening his eyes. But he won’t give up that easily. Shaking him a bit harder, he speaks right into Chan’s ear,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have to ask you something! Wake up!” Again Chan groans but this time his eyes flutter open and he looks at Sehyoon sleep drunkenly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh? Sehyoon? What is it? Did something happen?” He eagerly nods and that seems to jolt Chan awake who hastily sits up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it? Did one of your body parts break? Did my brother try to harm you?” Anger blazes in his eyes and Sehyoon quickly shakes his head, putting a comforting hand onto his arm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, nothing happened. I’m fine...It’s just that I have a really important question to ask you...” Chan’s body relaxes and he groans, falling back into the sheets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really just woke me to ask me a question? Sehyoon, I thought you know how much I hate to—" But the android can’t keep in his question any longer, not caring that he is once again breaking rules by interrupting his creator, </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if I’m in love with you?” Chan stares up at him, blinking flabbergasted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Sehyoon feels his system running hotter and hotter under the other’s gaze with every second of silence that passes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Could it be that I’m in love with you?” He repeats his question, rephrasing it a bit so it’s easier for Chan to understand. The latter still doesn’t take his eyes off him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How...How do you get such an idea?” He eventually wants to know and Sehyoon shrugs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought about it and it would make sense. I want to be close to you all the time, I worry and care about you more than myself, I want to touch you and make sure you’re okay and my system isn’t working properly around you and—“ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s complete bullshit!” Chan interrupts him, sitting up and huffing angrily. “I built you to act like this, besides you can’t be in love with me. How is that supposed to work? You are an android, Sehyoon!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I looked it up and apparently people also didn’t think it would be possible to build a robot who can think for himself...” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes but...” Frustration and anger is written all over Chan’s face and Sehyoon’s system immediately starts working on figuring out what’s going on. Not that he really thinks he will ever get an end result. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what...?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If that’s true then I made a horrible mistake...” Chan finishes his sentence, his volume not louder than a whisper. His words don’t usually hit Sehyoon but this time he is sure to feel a sting in his metallic heart. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does that mean you’ll have to...to change it?” He quietly asks, not able to meet Chan’s eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know...I might...” They sit in the darkness, the silence hanging heavy between them. The only noises are Chan’s breathing and fast beating heart, while a storm is raging inside Sehyoon’s mind. He doesn’t want to get altered...He doesn’t want to stop loving Chan if that’s really the case. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tears start falling without him even noticing it until soft fingertips gently brush them away. “I’m so sorry...” Chan whispers, slowly pushing himself closer until there is only a small gap separating them. “It’s only to protect you...Love in all kinds of ways hurt, you know...And I can’t bear seeing you getting hurt.” Finally, Sehyoon feels strong enough to look at him, noticing a pain that seems to be mirroring his own, shining in Chan’s dark eyes. Gone is the closed off scientist and what stays is a hurt boy that has never truly learned how to properly deal with his emotions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I’m not hurting, Channie...I’m happy because you allow me to be with you. I’m happy whenever I make you smile or when you hug me to fall asleep. Cooking for you makes me happy too. It’s the same as the rain making me happy or reading and gardening bringing me joy. It’s nothing bad, Chan...” The other sighs, focusing on his hands that start caressing Sehyoon’s cheeks, though his tears have already stopped falling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t understand, Sehyoon. First there is happiness but the more happiness there is, the more pain will follow in the end. Love is all a lie. It fades and so do the promises the people involved made.” The android frowns, realization dawning on him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re still scared that I will leave you...” It’s not a question and he watches how Chan’s lower lip starts trembling in the attempt to hold in his tears. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You will...Soon you will.” These words hurt more than his suggestion to alter Sehyoon’s system and the android wildly shakes his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I won’t! Stop telling me what I will or won’t do! Stop acting like I have no control over my life!” It’s the third time that Sehyoon’s voice becomes louder and like last time, he immediately regrets it when he sees Chan’s shocked expression. His face softens and he carefully reaches out a hand to touch the other’s. He doesn’t pull it away and Sehyoon intertwines their fingers, feeling Chan’s faint racing heartbeat through his sensors. Sehyoon isn’t brave enough to look into his eyes, when he speaks again,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I’m in love with you...” Chan’s heartbeat and breathing both seem to stop for a second only to continue even faster than before and Sehyoon can’t help but sadly smile to himself. He doesn’t need to look up to know that Chan is staring at him, his cheeks flushed and his eyes widened. “Please...Allow me to be in love with you...Allow me to care about you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chan doesn’t show any kind of reaction at first but he also doesn’t pull away his hand and Sehyoon holds onto it as if it will keep him from falling down an endless hole. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will think about it.” He eventually whispers, returning Sehyoon’s surprised look with fear shining in his eyes. Then he scrambles off the bed, ultimately disconnecting their hands. “There is a lot of work to get done, so if you need me, I’ll be in my laboratory.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sehyoon watches how he disappears through the door, his mind feeling calmer than it has in a long time, though everything about his situation only seems to have gotten more complicated. Behind him the sun starts rising, letting soft sunlight illuminate everything in a golden shimmer. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It's getting ~spicyyy~ heheh</p><p>I really love this project so much haha writing it is so much fun and I'm always so excited to show you guys the new chapters uwu</p><p>Sehyoon confessing :O also I find Dongjun's backstory so endering? ahh I'm in love with all the characters TT</p><p>And Sehjun besties uwu also there might be a Sehjun fic soon... pretty soon hehe</p><p>Btw I'm so so soooo sorry for not replying to comments recently TT I read them all but then I'm busy or i forget and they pile up until it's a bit overwhelming dhqhjdk I'll try to reply to them soon so you might get a random reply for a very old comment soon haha</p><p>anyway thank you for reading uwu &lt;3 stay healthy and take care~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chan locks himself into the laboratory for the rest of the day and Sehyoon spends it cooking meals and educating himself about love. It’s not that he has never heard of it before, but now that he might be experiencing that feeling himself, he wants to be as informed as possible. So he reads about it in science books and romance novels, cries when one or both of the lovers end up dying tragically, only to grab the next book once he finishes one. </p><p>When he is done reading all the books in Chan’s library, he decides to move on to cheesy romance movies. After a while Junhee joins him, cringing whenever he shows up in one of them and crying with Sehyoon at sad endings. The android is glad not to be alone for once and he believes that it’s comforting for Junhee too. At some point they take a break to eat lunch and the actor offers to help him cook. </p><p>“We won’t need that much.”, he says when Sehyoon is about to throw an entire pack of noodles into the boiling water, “Donghun went out and I’m not that hungry either. I ate too many of your amazing pancakes earlier.” </p><p>“Ah...” Sehyoon only puts in half the package and then turns to watch Junhee stir the sauce on the stove. It’s the first time for both of them to cook Italian food but after having seen it in so many movies, they developed a craving. Not that he will actually touch any of the food. As an android he’ll probably just take a nap in the sun on the rooftop instead, next to his friends.</p><p>“Did you and Yuchan fight? I heard loud voices earlier...” Junhee sounds casual but Sehyoon stiffens as if he has gotten caught doing something wrong, before he sighs. </p><p>“I wouldn’t call it a fight… It’s not worth talking about.” </p><p>“Mmmh...” It’s written all over the actor’s face that he is curious, but he doesn’t push the topic any further and Sehyoon is grateful for that. They finish cooking and Junhee starts eating while the android excuses himself to bring some lunch for Chan. The latter hasn’t eaten any of his breakfast today and it worries Sehyoon. </p><p>“Channie?”, he calls, knocking onto the door, once he reaches it, “I brought you some lunch.” No reaction. “You don’t have to come out now but promise me to eat it and to take enough breaks!” He believes to hear faint noises behind the door, but even after waiting another five minutes, he doesn’t get an answer and like that he puts the plate on the floor in front of the door, before slowly heading back to the kitchen. He really hopes that Chan will take the food. His body needs it to work and function properly. Otherwise he’ll fall sick again. </p><p>“Chan is not joining us either?”, Junhee asks, when Sehyoon walks back into the kitchen alone. He shakes his head and silently begins to clean the counters. “You should eat first, we can clean afterwards.” Again he shakes his head. </p><p>“I’m not hungry, it’s fine.” That seems to silence Junhee who watches with knitted eyebrows how he washes the pots, though he could have just put them into the dishwasher. </p><p>“Is there a way I can help? Some comforting words? Advice? Just a listening ear?”, Junhee tries again and Sehyoon sighs, drying the first pot so that he doesn’t have to look at him while thinking about it. Advice doesn’t sound too bad. Especially coming from someone who pretends to fall in love and be in love and relationships all the time. </p><p>“What do you think is the best way to convince someone that you really really like them and they should not shut you down for it?” His weirdly specific sounding question clearly confuses Junhee but after thinking about it for a while, his face lights up,</p><p>“Flowers are always nice! And you have many of them on your rooftop. Also I don’t know… Apologies mmmh… maybe go on a small date? Something with only the two of you, where you can talk about everything and just enjoy each other… like each other’s presence.” He snickers at his own words while Sehyoon stares at him attentively, his brain already working on coming up with a good idea. He thinks about all the movies he has watched, making a speed analysis of the most used date locations and it comes to a quick conclusion,</p><p>“What do you think about dinner?” Junhee nods. </p><p>“Classy and elegant. The best thing is that you won’t even need to leave the house; you can cook better than any chef I’ve ever met and your rooftop screams romance. It’s the perfect location.” </p><p>So Sehyoon starts cooking, following Junhee’s advice and deciding on something complicated which turns out to be a lot of fun because it challenges him for a change. While he is busy preparing the food, Junhee rummages through his wardrobe for something to wear only to hand him unfamiliar clothes in the end.</p><p>“These are mine but I think they should fit you too. How can it be that a handsome guy like you doesn’t own any fancy clothes? I think I saw the same shirt in seven different colors but not a single blouse!” </p><p>Sehyoon has no idea what a blouse is but he accepts the other’s clothes without any complaints. The jeans seem to be weirdly tight on his legs but the shirt’s material feels soft and nice against his skin. His new, unfamiliar look reminds him of the Junhee in the movies they have watched together earlier and it lets a smile appear on his face. Pretty, he thinks to himself. </p><p>“Oh? Are you going somewhere?” Donghun asks him surprised, when Sehyoon meets him on the way back to the kitchen. He opens his mouth to answer but Junhee suddenly appears in the hallway, excitedly throwing himself into Donghun’s arms who catches him with a bright grin on his face. </p><p>“Careful! I wasn’t gone for long but you still missed me that much huh?” Junhee lets go of him again and gives him a light slap onto the arm. </p><p>“Don’t be so full of yourself! I just… I don't like sitting around alone the entire day… Though Sehyoon gave me some company. We had fun, right?” Sehyoon nods, a small smile blooming on his lips. It feels great to know someone else other than Chan is enjoying his presence. </p><p>“Did you play dress up then? I’m pretty sure those are your clothes he is wearing.” </p><p>“I lent them to him. He is going on a date today.” Junhee winks suggestively and Donghun raises his eyebrows in curiosity. </p><p>“Really? A date? With Channie?” Sehyoon nods, not knowing why he feels so flustered about admitting to it. </p><p>“They had a fight earlier today so Sehyoon wants to make up for it.” No, actually those aren’t really his intentions but before he gets the chance to correct Junhee, the latter gives him a light push into the direction of the laboratory. </p><p>“Go and get him! Don’t worry, he’ll love it. The rooftop looks great and you look great too.” </p><p>Donghun nods in agreement and the couple throws him encouraging smiles while Sehyoon takes a deep breath and then turns to head to the laboratory. No matter what the outcome of this evening will be, at least he hasn’t given up without a fight.</p><p>     ——————</p><p>It is an understatement to say Chan looks surprised when he opens the door to his laboratory and his eyes fall on Sehyoon in front of it. </p><p>“S—Sehyoon? Why… Where did you get these clothes from?” </p><p>“Junhee lent them to me”, he explains, feeling his system running hot when Chan’s gaze wanders from his head to his feet and back up. </p><p>“W—Why?”, he eventually asks confused and Sehyoon knows the time has come. </p><p>“There is something I want to show you.” He doesn’t wait for Chan’s answer, fearing that he will turn him down otherwise. Instead he takes his hand and gently pulls him along through the apartment, the fact that Chan doesn’t stop him encouraging Sehyoon to even smile at him. </p><p>When they pass the kitchen, Donghun and Junhee are busy eating, throwing them some grins and thumbs up whereupon Chan glares at them angrily.</p><p>“Why are they even still here?” Sehyoon believes to hear him mutter but he decides to ignore the question. By the time they walk up the stairs towards the rooftop, his heartbeat is drumming in his ears and he is pretty sure that never before he has been this nervous in his short life. Then he opens the door to the rooftop and Chan behind him lets out a small gasp. </p><p>“What… is this?” He wants to know, stepping past Sehyoon and observing the scene in front of them. The android watches him proudly.</p><p>“I prepared dinner for us.” Chan carefully lets his eyes wander over the neatly set table and all the fairy lights, before he chuckles. </p><p>“Is this for me?” He points at a small cactus in a flowerpot and Sehyoon nods eagerly. </p><p>“Yes! Junhee said, flowers are a good gift for a date.” </p><p>“Does a cactus in a pot even count as a flower?” Sehyoon nods again, bashfully returning Chan’s amused look.</p><p>“I mean, I also had to think of the flowers’ feelings… They are my friends so I could never murder them, not even for you, and you would definitely forget to water them... A cactus is a survivor, so he is perfect for you.” That makes Chan huff and he sits down on the side with the plate and silverware. Sehyoon’s side is empty except for the food in an isolation bag.</p><p>“Is this supposed to be a date? Me eating alone?” Chan still doesn’t look convinced but as always Sehyoon ignores his grumpiness and neatly puts food onto his plate instead.</p><p>“You work so hard… I wanted to do something nice for you today.”, he explains, freezing, when he looks back up and the other is staring at him with an unreadable expression. </p><p>“I’ve never been on a date before…”, Chan eventually admits quietly, shoving some rice into his mouth which makes him look like a chipmunk. Sehyoon can’t help but chuckle softly, before handing him a napkin and sitting down across from him. His creator always forgets to eat but once one places dinner in front of him, there is no holding him back.</p><p>“It’s my first date, too. It’s much more nerve wrecking than I expected.” Silence falls over them while he watches Chan eat. He knows that he should find an entertaining topic to talk about but instead Sehyoon gets lost in Chan’s visuals. Is it weird that he enjoys seeing the other shovel food into his mouth? And is it wrong that he can’t help but shift his attention to his lips only to compare their pink shade to some of the roses in one of the flower beds right next to Chan?</p><p>“Sehyoon… Stop staring at me while I’m eating, it’s weird.”, Chan suddenly speaks up and Sehyoon’s quickly looks down at his hands instead.</p><p>“Sorry…” He apologizes for which he earns a chuckle which quickly turns into a frustrated groan.</p><p>“Ahh…I can’t believe this…”, the scientist exclaims with a sigh, leaning back without taking his eyes off him, “Why did I make you like this? You are too beautiful… too adorable and too perfect…” He shakes his head, before burying it in his hands. </p><p>“You make me forget about my actual goals… You make me think it’s okay to get distracted…” Sehyoon frowns, looking at Chan in confusion. Why does he always talk like that? He is never able to understand what his cryptical words mean and frustration that seems to be mirroring Chan’s, boils up inside of him.</p><p>“But what are your actual goals?” He wants to know, whereupon the other sighs again and glances at him through his fingers. Then he slowly lowers his hands and bends forward, however without answering his question. </p><p>“I should have known better…” He only whispers and Sehyoon’s brain isn’t able to make out the emotions that are shining in his creator’s eyes. As always, Chan simply doesn’t seem to make sense and it confuses Sehyoon’s system. Silence surrounds them and not even the noises from the city can pierce through the bubble that has formed itself around the rooftop. Time is standing still and Sehyoon isn’t sure if it’s really his own voice when he finally dares to ask,</p><p>“Did you think about it?” He waits in nervous anticipation, mentally preparing himself for Chan to drag him into his laboratory at any second. It’s what he deserves for always misbehaving. For being too pretty, for distracting Chan too much from his original goals and for having fallen in love with him. It’s Sehyoon’s fault and that’s why he takes a deep breath, when Chan nods, only for his eyes to widen in surprise, when the other suddenly leans over the table and closes the gap between them; pressing his lips onto Sehyoon’s.</p><p>The android’s system is overwhelmed at first. This is an entirely new experience which he hasn’t expected to happen any time soon, hence his brain didn’t have enough time to prepare itself for the new flood of senses. And because of that, Sehyoon’s system simply shuts down, making the world turn dark.</p><p> </p><p>(…)</p><p> </p><p>“—you okay?” Sehyoon blinks while his vision slowly turns clearer until he is able to see properly again.</p><p>Chan is looking at him with wide eyes, his hands resting on Sehyoon’s cheeks. He is no longer sitting on his chair and bending down in front of him instead and immediately the android asks himself for how long he has been gone this time. </p><p>“I… Yes… Just… overwhelmed…”, he somehow gets out, his system still not working properly so that information get processed very slowly. Still, one thing he remembers clearly; Chan has just kissed him and that fact nearly makes him shut down again. </p><p>“I’m so sorry… I should have warned you.”, the other apologizes, not taking his hands from Sehyoon’s cheeks that send a weird tingling through his body. “I just… I couldn’t fight against it any longer… It’s your fault! Ugh no…”, he groans, “my own fault for making your lips look like that…” Sehyoon frowns, a hand slowly wandering to his lips. He has never thought much about how they look like but he is sad that they apparently upset Chan so much.</p><p>“I’m sorry…”, he whispers and to his surprise he earns a crooked smile in return.</p><p>“Yes… You really should be…”, Chan says, leaning in closer until their foreheads meet and their lips are once more nearly touching and immediately Sehyoon’s system runs hot, dangerously close to shutting down again. </p><p>“I thought about it the entire day… Your confession…” The scientist’s voice is quiet and unsure, different to his usual confidence. It’s one of the things that give away his nervousness, apart from his irregular, fast breaths which Sehyoon can feel against his lips. So close… Chan is so close.</p><p>“I’m scared…” His creator eventually admits and, even though Sehyoon has figured it out a while ago, the fact that he is opening up in front of him like that, awakens the urge inside of the android to pull Chan close and never let go of him again; to show him that there is no reason for him to be afraid because Sehyoon would never do anything to hurt him.</p><p>“In my life everybody has left me at some point… I quickly realized that shutting everybody out is easier than dealing with heartbreak but then you came into my life… So innocent… You’ve never seen how cruel this word really is. At first that only amused me… I thought you would find out soon enough but then I began catching myself wanting to show you only the good sides of it…” He chuckles drily. </p><p>“For some reason, I want to love you back so badly but I don’t know if I can.” Chan’s eyes grow wider and wider while he is speaking, desperation and pain shining in them that make Sehyoon’s heart ache. He still doesn’t know what has happened for Chan to become like this and he isn’t sure that he’ll ever find out, but that’s not what matters. Chan is what matters, right here, right now, and how much Sehyoon wants his brown eyes to glow full of happiness instead of fear. </p><p>“I can wait… You know that I can. I won’t push you nor will I be angry at you if you decide that you can’t do it but please… Give me a chance.”</p><p>Sehyoon knows he shouldn’t be begging like this… After all he doesn’t want to pressure Chan into anything but at the same time, he wants him to understand; to realize that there is no reason for him to be afraid of Sehyoon. Chan takes a deep breath, one of the hands on the android’s cheeks wandering into the hair at the back of his head. </p><p>“I think…” He says, his quiet voice nearly drowning in the noises of the wind, “I think that I really want to give you a chance.” </p><p>Happiness rushes through Sehyoon’s metallic body and this time his system does not shut down when Chan’s lips clumsily press themselves against his. They are softer than he could have ever imagined and though he has never tried rose petals before, Sehyoon is pretty sure that Chan’s lips do not only look like these beautiful flowers but also must be tasting the same. </p><p>It’s that thought that makes him finally wrap his arms around Chan’s waist, pulling him down into his lap without even really processing it, before he recalls everything that he has learned about kissing from movies until now. It’s new and a bit awkward but at the same time perfect enough to ignore any doubts that are knocking on the back of his mind. </p><p>Chan is giving him a chance and Sehyoon will do anything to convince him that it is the right decision.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Uhmmmmm yea~</p><p>Sorry if the layout might look weird. I had to update via phone bc I don’t have my laptop atm but I didn’t want to make you wait for longer than a month again :”)</p><p>Anyway shit is about to go dooooown yaay~</p><p>Also Sehjun best fluffiest bros💞 love them sm uwu</p><p>———-</p><p>Please consider leaving me some feedback in the comments or on my twt (@babbl1ng) 🥰 you can also leave kudos to let me know you like this fic!😊</p><p>I hope you enjoyed, stay heathy and see you soon~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>"My imaginary friend" turned 3 years old today which means it's basically my ao3 anniversary so I'm gifting y'all a new Error chap uwu enjoy~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It’s not the first time, that Sehyoon securely wraps his arms around Chan when the latter snuggles himself closer to him at night, but it is the first time, that Sehyoon doesn’t feel guilty about it and even allows himself to press his face into the crook of the other’s neck. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He still cannot believe that Chan is really giving him a chance but whenever he thinks back to their shared kisses on the rooftop, a bright smile grows on his face without him being able to suppress it. For so long he has been longing to be allowed to hold Chan close, caress his face and kiss his lips but until yesterday night, all these thoughts have always been accompanied by the burning feeling of guilt. A good android wouldn’t get thoughts like that but here he is now, pulling Chan even closer as if the latter will suddenly disappear otherwise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Channie…”, he whispers, not expecting an answer from the fast asleep boy, “Don’t worry...I won’t ever leave you. I’ll make sure to protect you.” Sehyoon carefully raises a hand, letting it ghost over Chan’s soft hair that reminds him of the dog’s fur from that rainy day. Since then, he hasn’t been outside again and he hates that that realization dampens his good mood. Apparently he has gotten greedy now… Getting one thing he wished for and immediately longing for the next. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In an attempt to distract himself from his dark thoughts, Sehyoon focuses his attention back on Chan. Now and then his lips move as if he is trying to form words but no sounds come out. He is dreaming but so far, there haven’t been any nightmares. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The hours pass and the sun begins to rise. Once the first beams of light creep into the room, Sehyoon expects Chan to shift and wake up like he usually does but to his surprise, the other stays sound asleep. The only time he moves is when the sun finally reaches the bed, whereupon he turns and snuggles himself closer to Sehyoon to bury his face against his chest and hide it from the light. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The walls are thin enough for Sehyoon’s android ears to eventually hear Donghun and Junhee wake up and shower. They seem surprised to find the kitchen empty, their voices immediately turning quieter in an attempt to not disturb them while they go about cooking some breakfast. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Should we wake them?” Junhee asks not much later, Sehyoon being able to understand the question well since they have made their way closer towards their bedroom. He hears Donghun huff in amusement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let them sleep… If they really made up yesterday, they probably had a long night.” Junhee quietly giggles at that and the two return to the kitchen while Sehyoon looks down at Chan. It’s unusual that the latter is still sleeping and he asks himself if he should be worried about it. Carefully, he places a hand around his wrist, checking his pulse which is steady and calm. His temperature is normal, too, and that fact relieves Sehyoon. At least Chan isn’t in the process of dying without him noticing it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still, after a while he cannot take it any longer and lets his hand wander from his wrist, towards his puffy cheek. “Channie… It’s nearly lunchtime already…”, he whispers, the only reaction he gets being a whine. “You’ll be angry at me for not waking you sooner…” Chan frowns in his sleep and Sehyoon can’t help but chuckle softly, before a sudden rush of fondness and confidence makes him bend forward and press a kiss against Chan’s cheek. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Time to wake up”, he mumbles into his ear and finally Chan’s eyes flutter open, looking at him with a sleepy gaze. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t want to… so warm…” Chan whines and snuggles himself closer again, whereupon the weird tingling returns to Sehyoon’s body. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s already past ten… Do you really want to stay in bed longer?” He expects Chan to rip his eyes open and lecture him for not having woken him sooner, before hurrying off to get whatever work done in his laboratory, but to his surprise Chan only shrugs. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m taking the day off…” Sehyoon blinks. A free day? No work? He didn’t even know Chan knows those things exist. A bit worried, he observes the other who has closed his eyes again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you alright? Do you feel sick or something? Should I get medicine?” Chan huffs amused, before he glances at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are always so worried...I’m fine…I just remembered how nice sleep can feel.” That silences Sehyoon’s worries for now and he watches how Chan drifts off again. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s go somewhere, too!” Sehyoon looks up from the counter he is cleaning in surprise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Two more hours had passed, before Chan eventually felt ready to leave the bed, whereupon Sehyoon had cooked him some breakfast — well, lunch — and cleaned the kitchen while he was eating. Junhee and Donghun have left them a note, saying that they went out to get some fresh air and give them some space and Chan is currently holding said note in his hand, beaming at Sehyoon with excited shining eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Going somewhere… Us? Together?” Sehyoon thinks back to his silent wish which he has made in the middle of the night and for a second, he asks himself if Chan is able to read his mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes...Us. Together. It’s gonna be nice…” A small smile blooms on Sehyoon’s face and he turns to put the spices back into the right cupboard, while he tries to make his answer sound as casual as possible,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure. I’d love to go somewhere with you. I just don’t know where we could go though...There are so many places I want to see…” Suddenly a pair of arms wrap themselves around his waist, catching him by surprise, while Chan hesitantly rests his head on his shoulder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about that...I’ve got a great place in mind and I think you’ll like it.” The smile on Sehyoon’s face grows wider and he turns to face Chan who looks at him with big, innocent eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Considering the fact that I wasn’t allowed to touch you until recently, you enjoy cuddling quite a lot now.”, he can’t help but tease which makes the other huff and then shrug, the usual defensive expression returning to his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are an exception.” Sehyoon raises a hand, carefully stroking Chan’s hair like he is petting a cat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, I’ll give you as many cuddles as you want.” The scientist smiles sheepishly at that and then tugs at his hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon! I want to go and play but you need to drive me!”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sehyoon is usually a happy android. Maybe it’s because he hasn’t been alive for long or the fact that he isn’t human but in his opinion, even bad days have something good that can make one smile. That’s how he lives through hours of sitting around, locked up in the apartment like Rapunzel in her tower, waiting for Chan to either come home or leave his laboratory again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Besides, it’s not like Sehyoon is lonely. He isn’t. He got his friends on the rooftop that always listen to his thoughts and concerns and now there are even Donghun and Junhee to keep him company and make the apartment appear livelier. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So yes, Sehyoon is a happy android and still, he is pretty sure that he has never felt happier than right now. Driving along the ocean that seems to be endless; touching the sky in the distance, while Chan is sitting next to him, his face relaxed and content. At some point, he rolls down the window, letting in the cold wind which smells of the ocean and the autumn sun that tints everything in a golden light.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s difficult to focus on the street, when Chan looks beautiful like this and Sehyoon is grateful that there aren’t many cars around since he can’t help but throw glances at him again and again, saving the image on his memory chip. However, when Chan catches him staring, he doesn’t look annoyed as usual and grins instead. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eyes on the street, Sehyoon.” He reminds him, but without it sounding snarky and Sehyoon quickly does as told, not liking the way the car seems to grow hotter in the sunlight. He wants to tell Chan about his thoughts; that he thinks he is the most beautiful human he has ever seen, but at the same time, he doesn’t know how Chan will react and the uncertainness holds him back. Then the other tells him to take a turn to drive onto a parking lot and the moment has passed. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing the ocean with his own eyes is much more imposing than seeing it on TV. Many movies love to use the beach as a filming location and now that Sehyoon is finally feeling the sand under his own feet, while he can hear the waves crashing against the shore and the seagulls hunting for food, he gets why people seem to love it so much. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The ocean is breathtaking and without even really noticing it, he walks closer to the wild water until the sudden grip of a hand around his arm stops him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Careful! The water is dangerous.” Chan’s voice nearly gets drowned in all the loud noises around them and, when Sehyoon turns to look at him, he is eyeing the dark water uneasily. Despite him wearing a rain jacket, his body is shaking and only now does Sehyoon realize how cold the icy wind coming from the ocean must be for a human. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come here.”, he mumbles, wrapping his own jacket and arms around the trembling scientist who complies without any kind of resistance and lets his body melt against Sehyoon’s, followed by him sighing happily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ahh… It’s convenient to date an android who got his own heating system. I did well with that.” Sehyoon only chuckles, resting his chin on Chan’s shoulder while they are both watching some boats pass by in the distance. He could stay like this forever. With Chan he doesn’t feel the need to fill every bit of silence with words. Just being in his presence is enough, hearing his faint steady heartbeat and knowing that he is okay; that he is safe. It’s comfortable and Sehyoon surprises them both by pressing a feather-light kiss against Chan’s temple, whereupon the latter’s heartbeat speeds up and Sehyoon quietly smiles to himself. It’s kind of comforting to him that a human body cannot lie. At least not really. Chan’s body reactions are so much easier to read than his words that always seem to only confuse Sehyoon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d come here often...When I was younger…”, Chan eventually interrupts the silence between them and Sehyoon gives him a surprised glance. It’s unusual for him to talk about his past. Actually, if the android thinks about it, this seems to be the first time he really mentions it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alone?” He asks, eager to find out more about the person he loves but also not wanting to push him too much. That will only make Chan close himself off again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“With my dad… He used to take me every year at least once. At least that was until I nearly drowned and refused to come here ever again…” Sehyoon hears him gulp heavily and he knows Chan well enough to realize that there must be tears gathering in his eyes, even though the other has his back turned to him. Sehyoon pulls him even closer, hoping it will help to comfort him. “I was so stupid back then… I should have used every chance I got to spend more time with him but I just didn’t know that he--” Chan stops, taking a deep, shaky breath. It takes him some minutes before he is able to speak again and Sehyoon stays quiet, too, only reacting by pressing more kisses against his temple which seems to calm Chan at least a bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It feels good to have come here again after all this time… I feel like I can finally think of those memories without feeling guilty any longer, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own.” Again there is silence, before Chan suddenly turns around and looks at Sehyoon with a serious expression. “Thank you…” He whispers and then adds with more confidence, “Thank you for always staying with me…” Sehyoon gives him a warm smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s what I promised.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know but… I feel like I should finally tell you how much it really means to me. I don’t deserve your love but I’m still so damn grateful for it.” Sehyoon frowns. He wants to tell Chan that it isn’t true; that he deserves Sehyoon’s love so much and that there is no reason for him to be grateful about it, but before he can open his mouth, Chan leans forward and silences him with a kiss. All thoughts other than the feeling of Chan’s lips on his or the way his hands bury themselves in his hair disappear and Sehyoon decides to tell him another time.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>When they get back to the apartment, it’s already dark outside and now and then one can see some stars shine through the smog which is covering the night sky. Sehyoon makes a note to himself to take Chan to see the stars properly another time but the other’s stomach has started growling a while ago and his eyes have shut close in the middle of their drive home.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sehyoon considers waking him, once he has pulled into the parking lot, but after looking at Chan’s peaceful face for a couple of seconds, he simply scoops him up as if he isn’t weighing more than a stack of paper and carries him to the elevator. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Inside the apartment, he puts him down on one of the couches, placing a blanket over him and making sure it’s covering his entire body, before he presses a gentle kiss to his forehead. Despite having gotten so much sleep the previous night, Chan doesn’t even squirm, while his quiet snores fill the living room’s silence. Sehyoon gives him one last glance, a smile tucking at the corner of his lips. Then he walks towards the kitchen where — to his surprise — he gets greeted by a brightly grinning Junhee. The couple has completely slipped his mind for a second. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh you are home! Seems like your date went well yesterday.” Junhee exclaims from his spot at the table and Sehyoon nods. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes… I’m really grateful for your help.” He goes to fetch a pan and some leftover rice from the fridge. Meanwhile Junhee watches him, the newspaper he apparently had been reading seeming to no longer catch his interest. It’s real paper… Sehyoon didn’t even know one can still buy these.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ahhh that was nothing! We are staying in your home for free, helping you two is the least we can do.” The actor says and this time Sehyoon returns his smile. It’s difficult to not get affected by Junhee’s positive energy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you eat?” He wants to know and the other nods. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I did! Donghun and I had dinner in this really lovely small restaurant in the mountains. Amazing food and not many customers who could have recognized us. It was nice...” As always, Junhee keeps talking after that, the words simply bubbling out of his mouth and Sehyoon finds out that similar to him and Chan, the couple had decided to explore nature and gone hiking. Apparently, Junhee’s feet had been killing him at the end of their trip but it had totally been worth it since the beautiful view and sunset had made up for the pain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was great! I forgot how it feels to be able to breathe. The city can be really suffocating…”, Junhee eventually wraps up his story, right in time with Sehyoon pouring the finished fried rice he had been cooking into a big bowl. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sounds like an amazing day.” He comments, while getting a tray from one of the cupboards. “I’ll tell you about mine, after I got Chan. He fell asleep in the car on our way back, so I left him in the living room.” This earns him a surprised look from Junhee.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t tell me you carried him upstairs?” Sehyoon frowns confused, the water he is currently filling into a glass nearly flowing over the rim. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I did… Why? Are humans not supposed to do things like that?” Junhee only chuckles and shakes his head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No… I just need to tell Donghun to step up his game. He never carries me! He wakes me and then tells me to walk and hands me at least five heavy bags to carry...” He sighs, “I’m really jealous of Yuchan t now… He got such a nice and caring boyfriend.” Sehyoon notices his system heating up at the compliment and, after arranging everything on the tray, he quickly excuses himself to slip out of the room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Does Chan also think that he is a nice and caring boyfriend? He really hopes so and that thought puts a grin on his face. It’s only been half an hour but he can’t wait to pull Chan back into his arms again. It’s nice to have the other close to him so that he knows he is safe… To touch his soft hair, see his lips curl into a smile, feel his heartbeat through the sensors of his fingertips...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>However, Sehyoon hasn’t even reached the door to the living room, when his thoughts get interrupted by loud voices. Immediately he slows down, carefully stepping closer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He has expected Chan to still be asleep, when he gets back to him but instead the other seems to be wide awake as well as very angry, his voice sounding through the wood of the door so that even a normal human is able to hear it clearly,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So what? That changes nothing, Donghun! He is still gone and we both know whose fault that is!” Sehyoon stops. He shouldn’t be eavesdropping on his creator’s private conversation. It’s another rule out of thousands but Chan is no longer only his creator. They are dating now, Chan has said so himself, and isn’t it normal to want to find out more about the person you love? Isn’t it normal for humans to act against the rules, when curiosity becomes too strong? And Sehyoon is curious… extremely curious which is why he stands frozen, neither turning away nor stepping inside, while he listens to another voice speaking up which he easily identifies as Donghun’s,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know! Do you think I’m happy with it? Do you think that’s what I wanted and that I don’t feel guilty about it?! All I’m trying to say is that I want you to understand that I’m on your side!” There is a moment of silence, before Sehyoon can hear Chan starting to laugh. However, it sounds shallow and Sehyoon’s system doesn’t know how to interpret it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can’t seriously want me to believe this… You were the one who told me I’m a nasty liar.” Chan’s voice is calmer now but there is a dangerous undertone in it which Sehyoon simply can’t pair with the boy who has still looked so happy only a couple of hours ago. No, this Chan sounds like an entirely different person and it reminds Sehyoon of the day, they both have met Junhee for the first time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Back then I didn’t know about it… I only found out recently! And your mother she—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She is not my mother!” Chan interrupts Donghun, it being loud enough that even Junhee must be able to hear it in the kitchen. “That woman is not my mother!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She wants me to tell you that she misses you. She is suffering, Yuchan! She hasn’t seen her son in over three years and—“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Didn’t you say that you know about it now? You want me to believe you that you are on my side but you still say those things. It only proves that you are lying! You know nothing!” Suddenly there are footsteps and despite Sehyoon’s inhuman speed, he is too surprised to do much more than jump backwards, before the door gets ripped open and Chan’s red face appears. He seems similarly shocked to find Sehyoon standing in front of the living room, still holding the tray with his dinner, and they both stare at each other with wide eyes for what could have been an eternity until Donghun’s voice wakes them from their spell,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She’s inviting you for lunch next week. Just think about it and—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up!” Chan yells, his eyes still focused on Sehyoon, before he storms past him and out of the apartment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh… What the hell is going on?” A very confused looking Junhee wants to know who is standing in the doorway to the kitchen and stares after Chan with knitted eyebrows. But Sehyoon doesn’t answer him. First, he isn’t sure what has just happened either — his system is still working on processing everything — and second, his legs work much faster than his brain; carrying him towards the door — where he simply leaves the tray on a small table — and outside, before he can even phrase an explanation in his head. His mind is way too occupied with worrying about Chan anyway. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His human body is so fragile; running around alone while it’s already dark outside seems scarily dangerous to Sehyoon and he shudders at all the images of kidnappings which he has seen in movies and the news. What if something happens to him? What if he gets lost? Sehyoon’s job is to protect him but right now his eyes can’t find him anywhere! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The android finally steps out of the building, calculating his next move. Chan can’t drive and Sehyoon is pretty sure that he is too upset to call a taxi. That means he can’t be far but there are still two directions, he could have run in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dammit!” Sehyoon curses and it’s weirdly helpful in calming him down a bit, before he decides to try his luck and run down the street. If he remembers correctly, there is a small playground nearby and aren’t playgrounds alway playing big roles when it comes to emotions in movies? It’s at least worth a try.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It feels weird to be running down the light up street. Sehyoon can count the times he has left the apartment on one hand and the only times he has used his legs to run were for some of Chan’s tests in his laboratory on a treadmill. However, running and actually moving forward faster, feels completely different. Despite the situation, Sehyoon can’t help but enjoy the feeling of his feet hitting the ground harder and the wind that is tousling his hair. He hadn’t known what he was missing out on… How many more things are there that he has never been able to try? Will he ever be able to in the future?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In that moment, he finally reaches the playground and his robotic eyes easily make out Chan who is sitting on one of the swings, wrapped in darkness. Relief rushes through Sehyoon’s body and he slows down while carefully making his way towards the scientist.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Channie?” He calls, not getting any kind of response or acknowledgement that he is even there. Sehyoon walks even closer. “Chan, it’s me…” He carefully places a hand on Chan’s arm but the latter shakes it off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Leave me alone!” It’s not the first time that Sehyoon hears these words from Chan but it’s the first time that they reach his heart and make it throb painfully. Again, he tries to stroke some hair out of Chan’s face but also this time, he reacts by pushing away his hand. “I told you to leave me alone, Sehyoon!” The android freezes, thinking about what to do.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On one hand, he wants to respect Chan’s wishes and give him space but on the other hand, the worry inside of Sehyoon seems to erase any kind of logic and he ends up silently sitting down on the swing next to Chan’s. His creator doesn’t acknowledge him doing so but he also doesn’t tell him to leave him alone a third time, so Sehyoon stays, silence wrapping itself around them like the darkness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now and then cars drive past them and at some point, there is even a cat that seems surprised to find the playground occupied by a young man and his robot, but it quickly moves on to find another spot to hang around. Meanwhile, Sehyoon can’t help but replay the fight he had witnessed in his head, again and again. He tries to make sense of it, but all he seems to have found out are things he has already known; Donghun and Chan don’t get along, something has happened in the past and for some reason, Chan is avoiding his mother. No, he is not only avoiding her… He seems to think of her as a bad person and not his mother. The only question is, why? And Sehyoon has no answer to that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He decides to drop that line of thought and focus his attention on the sound of the wind in the trees instead. It’s soothing and the chaos in his head calms down a bit…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you still here?” Chan’s voice doesn’t startle him too much. 26 minutes of silence have passed by now and Sehyoon had already been asking himself, when the other’s patience would come to an end. “I told you to leave me alone...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I promised you to stay by your side.” Sehyoon replies, slowly turning to Chan who is not taking his eyes off the seesaw straight ahead of him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You were eavesdropping on me and Donghun…You know that it’s against the rules…” It’s a weak attempt to keep up his last bit of authority but the way his bottom lip is trembling destroys even that and Sehyoon decides to ignore his words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know that you can talk to me… Channie, you can trust me.” He says instead, making his voice sound as soft as possible. Chan’s hands clench to fists and the android can’t help but reach for them, beginning to soothingly run his thumbs over the scientist’s knuckles who flinches but doesn’t try to pull them away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m so angry…” Chan eventually whispers, the sound nearly getting swallowed by the noises of a car driving past. “All the time, I’m so angry and I want to stop being angry but, whenever I think I can forget, it just gets worse…” Sehyoon nods despite him once again having no idea what Chan is talking about. The latter takes a shaky breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I hate her and I don’t want to see her but at the same time… I miss her so much, Sehyoon.” Finally, the tears fall and Sehyoon jumps up to pull Chan into his secure arms. He returns the hug, pressing his face against Sehyoon’s body while mumbling incomprehensible words that now and then get interrupted by sobs. The android decides to stay silent, gently rubbing and patting Chan’s back. His mechanical heart is hurting and all he wants is to help Chan to feel better again, but at the same time, he knows that this isn’t something he holds any power in. It’s a path Chan has to walk on alone and all Sehyoon can do is try to make it a tiny bit less scary and guide him into the right direction.   </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you miss her so much, why not accept her invitation for lunch?” His question makes the sobs go quiet nearly immediately and Chan looks up at him with red, teary eyes and knitted eyebrows.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just told you, I don’t want to see her! You don’t know her! You don’t know what she did!” That’s true… Sehyoon really doesn’t know anything about Chan’s mother but it’s still clear that she must have hurt him a lot in the past. The android nods and gently pushes some hair out of the scientist’s face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are right… I’m sorry…” He apologizes, before pulling a tissue out of his pocket and carefully wiping Chan’s cheeks dry. He had known they would come in handy one day. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just know that if you should ever change your mind, I’ll definitely go with you. You won’t have to face her on your own.” Chan only blinks at him, his face looking somewhat surprised but mainly tired. Like so often, the urge of wanting to protect him from everything evil in the world rushes through Sehyoon’s body and the realization that he isn’t capable of fulfilling such a task, nearly makes tears gather in his own eyes, too. Not that he would allow himself to cry right now. He needs to be strong for Chan. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s get you home for now…” Sehyoon mumbles and then scoops Chan up like he has done it earlier already, ignoring the weak complaints from his creator’s side who quickly goes quiet and wraps his arms tighter around his neck. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sehyoon?” Chan eventually whispers, when they have nearly reached their apartment and he hums to show him that he is listening. “I’ll make sure to protect you.” That makes Sehyoon frown in confusion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No… It’s me who—” but before he can correct Chan, they arrive on the right floor, whereupon the scientist wiggles himself out of his arms. He unlocks the door, not even waiting for Sehyoon to follow him inside, and disappears in his laboratory. The android stares after him, for some reason feeling like he has somehow only made the entire situation even worse.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Awww I hope you enjoyed the fluff at the beginning bc... well you will see hahah</p>
<p>Ahhh I love writing this fic :D so thank you so much for reading &lt;3 as always feel free to leave your thoughts and theories in the comments uwu I really enjoy reading them :3</p>
<p>Stay healthy and safe guys~ until next time &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>!!! Please read !!!!</p>
<p>so you might have noticed that I deleted the last chap and posted this one instead... well I accidentaly forgot to post this chap and the other one some of you read is actually the 10th :")</p>
<p>I'm really sorry about messing up but could you please delete your memories and just pretend it never happened? :") thank you so much! &lt;3 now enjoy~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Like so often in the past, Chan locks himself in his laboratory for the rest of the day and the dinner Sehyoon had cooked for him stays untouched.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sun is already rising behind the mountains in the distance, when the scientist finally slips into his bedroom, looking tired but also surprised to find Sehyoon sitting on the chair by his bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“W—What are you doing here?” He wants to know and the android raises an eyebrow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Waiting for you to finally go to sleep… It’s nearly seven already!” Chan shrugs, his usual defensive posture having returned, while he changes into his pajamas without caring that Sehyoon is still watching him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should have slept in your room tonight…” That comment is what makes Sehyoon eventually lose his patience and he huffs. His heart hurts and for some reason that pain makes him feel angry. It’s a new experience for Sehyoon but he isn’t able to enjoy it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Last time I checked, I was not capable of sleeping and also I don’t know if you forgot but my room is currently occupied by Donghun and Junhee.” At the mention of his step-brother, Chan freezes and finally turns to the android. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are right… I should probably tell them to leave… They’ve stayed here long enough already.” Sehyoon shakes his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Slowly he gets up and walks over to Chan, who stiffens in surprise, when he takes his hand. “Please… Don’t lock me out again.” His plea makes Chan’s eyes grow wider and more vulnerable again but just when Sehyoon is about to pull him into a hug, his boyfriend turns away and walks past him towards the bed. He feels his robotic heart throb. The pain is only in his head, he knows that, but he still has to resist the urge to put a hand against his chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Slowly he lets his gaze wander to where Chan gets nearly completely swallowed by his bedsheets, his back turned to him so that Sehyoon can’t see his face. His breathing and faint heartbeat, however, tell him that the other is still wide awake and Chan confirms that theory not long after, his voice cutting through the silence as well as Sehyoon’s heart,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I lost sight of my original goals…” He whispers, “Only for a moment I got distracted and I can’t let that happen again…” His voice sounds hollow like an android that does not yet own a metallic heart, nor a brain-chip, “I’ll finally have to get back on track but you are too distracting…” Chan takes a deep breath and in the way it’s shaking, Sehyoon realizes that he must be crying. His eyes widen in shock and he wants to go and wipe away his creator’s tears, but the latter’s next words make him freeze in surprise instead,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I decided that I’ll go and meet my mother. The sooner the better.”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The following days pass without Sehyoon getting another chance to talk to Chan about their conversation. In general he feels like they are back to the first couple weeks of him being alive. Chan only leaves his laboratory for dinner and when he finally goes to sleep in the early morning hours, Sehyoon doesn’t feel brave enough to lay down next to him. Instead he goes back to sitting by his bed, trying to make sense of everything that has happened as well as Chan’s motivations. At least that’s until the other’s nightmares return and he begins waking up in the middle of the night again, screaming while fighting off invisible monsters. It hurts Sehyoon to see Chan like this again but at the same time he can’t help but notice himself starting to nearly anticipate the attacks. Of course, he feels incredibly guilty, whenever that happens, but he still can not stop it. Because now the nights, when Chan wakes up crying, are the only times Sehyoon gets to hold him close, something his body is craving like plants crave the sun. It’s not right and he knows that but when has he ever been a good android?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The concerned glances that Junhee and Donghun throw him whenever he is cooking for them, tell him that they must have noticed the sudden change between him and Chan, too. It’s crazy, when Sehyoon thinks about it. Chan and him were happily dating for two days… well more like one and a half days. Not more. In movies it’s never like that. In movies they would be living happily ever after, but this is not a movie…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of glass breaking makes him focus his attention back on his hands in confusion. The chaos of emotions inside his mind must have led him to grip the vase he is currently filling with water tighter; too tight for the fragile material to be able to take. Sehyoon blinks at the broken pieces, feeling a dull sadness. This was one of his favorite vases and now it’s broken; gone. Just like his relationship with Chan…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sehyoon!” Junhee’s concerned voice slowly pulls him back to reality. It’s not unusual for him to get lost in his mind these days. His receptors are working weirdly slowly recently and he should probably talk to Chan about it but for some reason he hasn’t felt like bringing it up yet. He hasn’t seen the other since this morning anyway. Again, his grip tightens and the glass in his hands makes a loud crunching noise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sehyoon, stop! Your hands!” Suddenly there is another pair of hands taking his and they carefully loosen his fingers around the broken vase pieces. Sehyoon turns to Junhee who is entirely focused on his hands in the sink, only to gasp in surprise once he manages to open them. He blinks in astonishment and then returns Sehyoon’s stare with wide eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How… How can there be no blood?” Shit… He has completely forgotten about the fact that Junhee doesn’t know anything about him being an android. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… I don’t know…?” Sehyoon answers lamely, no good lie coming to his mind. Not that he is able to properly lie in the first place. Then he quickly pulls his hands out of his friend’s grip, using a towel to rub them dry and hide them from Junhee’s curious gaze. Because it is true that Sehyoon’s body doesn’t bleed the same way humans do, but his soft layer of synthetic skin can still get damaged by an action like crushing a glass vase. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is everything all right?” Junhee wants to know, his expression full of worry. It’s clear that he apparently has wanted to ask him this question for a while now and that it’s not only about the accident. Sehyoon feels his system running faster, trying to come up with a way to escape the situation without having to lie. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I had a rough night…” He eventually decides to answer vaguely, thinking back to Chan waking up kicking and screaming once again. His friend gives him a sympathetic look. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Winter is approaching fast… that is always a rough time. I’m sure it will get better soon.” Sehyoon isn’t entirely sure if he is talking about him or Chan but he nods nevertheless. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… I’ll go and get some bandaids from the bathroom. Just to be safe.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“All right”, Junhee says and smiles softly, “I’ll clean up the vase in the meantime.” When Sehyoon opens his mouth to protest, he quickly raises a hand to silence him, “Go and treat your hand, silly!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So Sehyoon does. However, it’s not the direction of the bathroom he heads in. While carefully observing the cuts on his hands, one can see his metallic body shine through, he makes his way towards the far back of the apartment. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Chan looks far from happy, when he opens the door to his laboratory and finds Sehyoon standing in front of it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is it? You know that I hate getting distracted from my work.” The android nods guiltily, still hiding his hands under the towel. For some reason he feels embarrassed about admitting that he has damaged them like this; not as a result of a proper accident but because emotions have taken a hold on him. He is an android. Something like this shouldn’t be happening to him and Chan will probably tell him the same.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… My grip was too strong and then the vase broke and I… My hands… There was no blood but… my skin… it’s damaged and I don’t know…” He stops his stammering, looking at Chan who stares at him with knitted eyebrows while his brain processes the flood of words. Then the information finally seems to hit and his eyes grow wide. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You did what?” He exclaims and steps forward, ripping the towel from Sehyoon’s hands so that he is no longer able to hide them. Chan looks at them for some seconds, the silence between them growing thicker and thicker, before he finally meets the android’s eyes again. “You idiot! Why weren’t you more careful? Do you think just because you are a damn android means that you can’t get hurt?” He pulls Sehyoon into the laboratory with a surprisingly strong force, closing the door behind them with a loud bang, before dragging him towards a messy table, still muttering curses. A very familiar looking cactus is placed on it in the right corner and Sehyoon can’t help but feel his heart flutter slightly at the sight. He has expected Chan to get rid of it, but the prickly little guy is looking as healthy as the last time he has seen him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“For an android you can be so stupid sometimes. One could think you are five years old… Doing stupid shit like this.” Chan pushes some papers and tools away so that there is enough space for Sehyoon to place his hands on the table, while the scientist hurries off to get whatever is needed for the repair. Once he returns and sits down next to him, he is still cursing, but the fingers with which he takes the android’s damaged hands, are surprisingly soft. He observes the cuts and then carefully strokes over them with his fingertips. However, Sehyoon isn’t paying much attention to that. Instead he looks at Chan’s face which for some reason looks as pained as if he is the one who got hurt. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are such an idiot…” The scientist whispers again, taking a shaking breath, before he moves even closer and carefully raises one of Sehyoon’s hands. The latter expects him to observe it more closely or to perhaps begin the repair but to his surprise Chan does neither. Instead he lifts his hand to his mouth, pressing gentle kisses onto each of the cuts without meeting Sehyoon’s wide eyes. “Such… a fucking… idiot…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once he is done, he keeps his hand close for a bit longer, before he takes a small phial from the table and starts dribbling a dark liquid onto the cuts. It takes a couple of seconds but the small wounds slowly close themselves again and Sehyoon stares at them in astonishment. He hasn’t expected the repair to be this easy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know… I am aware that you can’t feel pain…” Chan eventually breaks the silence between them, his voice quiet, while he is moving on to his other hand, “But I can feel pain… And seeing you hurt hurts me too…” He swallows hard and then finally looks up to meet Sehyoon’s eyes, his face full of pain and vulnerability. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sehyoon doesn’t know if it’s the fact that Chan is talking openly to him like this for the first time in days or because his words make his heart throb painfully, but before he can decide otherwise, he opens his mouth and the words simply stumble out,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought you no longer care about me… Because I distract you too much… Because I don’t behave properly…” The scientist stares at him for some seconds, only for his bottom lip to start trembling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No… I…” He stops, blinking away tears, before taking Sehyoon’s hands back into his and resting his forehead against them. “I… I care about nobody more than you, Sehyoon. But that’s the problem. I know you can’t understand… Maybe one day you will…” The android frowns at this, feeling his system speed up as it does so often around the other. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe I could understand if you explained it to me. You could at least try…” Chan shakes his head, before he looks up again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I can’t…. I can’t because I care about you and I’m selfish. I know I’m gonna lose you once you find out so… I’m just trying to protect us both from getting hurt too much.” By now the tears have found their way down his cheeks and when Sehyoon frees one of his hands to brush them away, Chan leans into the touch. The android hates seeing him cry and he hates that he always seems to be the cause of his tears. And still, he, too, is too selfish to stay away from him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But I’m hurting more, when I’m not around you…” Sehyoon whispers and again Chan shakes his head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It will only hurt even more later on…” He sighs, looking at him with a tired expression. “I’m not a good person, Sehyoon. There are many things you don’t know about me and the fact that I’m keeping them hidden from you only makes it even worse.” Sehyoon frowns.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t believe that…” He says, his voice sounding more confident than he actually feels.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It doesn’t matter if you believe it or not… It’s my fault that you see me as an angel when in reality, I fell from heaven so long ago.” Slowly, Chan leans in closer, whereupon Sehyoon’s breath falters. His system is working at full speed; screaming at him that it’s not the right logical decision to let the other rest a hand on his cheek. There is a constant warning flashing in the corner of his eyes, telling him that Chan is clearly dangerous, but it’s so easy to ignore the warning when the other carefully presses his lips against Sehyoon’s, whereupon most of his system shuts down. All it can still process is how close Chan is to him, how nice his lips feel and how he never wants to let go of him ever again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I tried to be good…” Chan eventually whispers, after they have broken away from each other again, “I really did but I simply can’t give you up.” At this, Sehyoon only pulls him closer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know that I don’t want you to.” He earns a sad smile from the other who begins to stroke his hair. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, Sehyoon. But that doesn’t make it right.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sehyoon still thinks about Chan’s words until late into the night. He has his arms securely wrapped around the scientist who is sleeping peacefully and, though there are still doubts, he can’t feel any regret about having let Chan get close to him again. Sehyoon is sure that whatever the other is hiding from him, it can’t be that bad. It simply can’t be…</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Can you believe I nearly kept this cute little chap from you all? TT</p>
<p>I hope you enjoyed it nevertheless and are fine with rereading the tenth chap :") </p>
<p>For updates etc you can find me on twitter (@babbl1ng) and if you want to support me you can also donate <a href="https://ko-fi.com/ba55l1ng">here</a>^^</p>
<p>See you soooooon and don't forget... you saw nothing hehe</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>;)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Are you sure that you want to do this?” Sehyoon asks, throwing another worried glance at Chan who is watching the city fly past them. The scientist nods hesitantly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need to face her eventually… I got you by my side so it’s gonna be fine.” He smiles softly and then stretches out a hand to caress Sehyoon’s cheek. The latter hums happily but still shakes his head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No distractions while driving,” he reminds him and Chan only rolls his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Says the android who always secretly looks at me instead of the road ahead.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Only sometimes!” Sehyoon defends himself, not able to keep his ears from turning hot whereupon Chan starts giggling. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I take it as a compliment.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>However, the closer they get to their destination, the quieter does Chan become. He starts shifting in his seat and chewing on his lower lip; a clear sign that he is nervous. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At some point they leave behind the busy streets and pull into a part of town which seems to be reserved for the wealthy; one huge mansion following another. Sehyoon stares at everything with wide eyes. He’s seen houses like this in movies, but to know that Chan apparently grew up in one still amazes him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, turn left at the next crossing and then follow the street until the very end,” his boyfriend mumbles and Sehyoon does. However, he takes the foot from the gas, when he notices a huge black gate, guarded by people that look a lot different from the security guards in movies. They aren’t dressed in black suits but wear casual clothes and in their hands they hold cameras instead of guns. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you getting slower?” Chan wants to know, raising his eyebrows at Sehyoon, before he throws the guards an annoyed look. “They are reporters… paparazzis. The world will be a better place without them so feel free to run them over.” Sehyoon blinks, still driving slowly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They aren’t security guards?” For some reason his question seems to amuse Chan who chuckles dryly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you really think my family's security guards would look this shabby? These people here make a living from sticking their noses into other people’s businesses and then twisting the story so that it will give them the most profit… No matter if it’s the truth or just a made up pile of shit. They praised my father’s name so highly until they suddenly realized they’d make more money from him if they’ll make him the center of a scandal instead.” Sehyoon tries not to look too surprised. Chan’s father… that’s another topic they’ve never really talked about until now and his boyfriend’s words have made him curious. But before he can ask another question, they finally reach the gate and suddenly the world is exploding in light flashes around them. Every reporter tries to get the best shot or at least a single glimpse at the people inside of the car, not caring that the windows are tinted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then the black gate finally opens and allows them to enter the secureness of a garden so big that it makes Sehyoon’s rooftop look like a sandbox for toddlers. The android stares at everything with wide eyes, while he tries to not crash the car into any of the beautiful flower beds and bushes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow…” He gasps, not missing Chan’s partly amused, partly pleased smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I knew you would like it… I’ll tell them to give you a tour later.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They drive down a path flanked by trees on each side, until they eventually stop in front of a huge mansion, where they get greeted by a man in a black suit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Butler Kim is awaiting you by the front door,” he informs them, “If you hand me the keys, I’ll park the car.” Sehyoon throws Chan a questioning glance and when he gives him a small nod, the android unwillingly lets the keys fall into the man’s hand. Afterwards, he follows Chan towards the house that’s even bigger than most of the other mansions in the neighborhood. Just like the first man has said, another, smaller servant is already waiting for them in front of the entrance and, once bright blue eyes meet his, Sehyoon’s mouth drops open. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Welcome, I’m Butler Kim and I’ll serve you today,” the man greets them with a polite smile. It’s perfect… A bit too perfect. “Your mother is already waiting for you, so please follow me.” Chan only huffs, unlike Sehyoon looking unimpressed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“An android. How… </span>
  <em>
    <span>original</span>
  </em>
  <span>…,” he comments, while they make their way inside and through corridors full of art pieces that remind Sehyoon of a museum. Not to mention all the security cameras that seem to not leave any unsupervised spots. However, though he has always wanted to visit a museum, Sehyoon doesn’t pay much attention to the decor. How could he, when there is another android right in front of him? Something which he hasn’t thought even exists, so close that he can touch it if he only stretches out his hand a tiny bit… Someone who is just like him...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sehyoon…” Chan’s voice sounds like a warning and his head snaps up, “I hope you still remember what I told you earlier.” He nods, guilt washing over him. Of course, he does. It’s nearly impossible for him to forget things and Chan has given him only one single order,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Look around as much as you want. You should gather new impressions and experiences, but no matter what happens, don’t let anyone know what you really are. Nobody can know, do you understand me?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>His words had been full of urgency and Sehyoon curses himself for nearly having ignored another of his creator’s orders. Why can he never simply do what Chan tells him? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We arrived,” Butler Kim announces in that very moment and they step into a bright, modern looking room with an amazing view over the grand garden and a big table as its centerpiece. It’s already packed with food, but Sehyoon doesn’t have much time to take all of it in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Channie! My son!” A woman exclaims, hurrying towards them and Sehyoon steps into her way without even thinking about it. It’s a reflex. He needs to make sure Chan is safe and it’s pretty clear that nobody in this house can be trusted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The woman stops, giving him a surprised look and it doesn’t need Sehyoon’s brain to analyze and fully process her exclamation, for him to realize who she is. Chan and her share the same brown eyes, the same full lips, and expression, when they are confused. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A trembling hand slips into his, carefully pulling him aside. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s fine…,” Chan whispers, before his warmth leaves Sehyoon again and he steps forward. “Mother… It’s… It’s nice to see you.” The android isn’t sure if it’s a lie or the truth… He thinks that Chan probably doesn’t know either, but he visibly stiffens, when his mother closes the remaining distance between them and pulls him into a tight hug. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Channie! My baby… I missed you so much!” Sehyoon can’t see Chan’s facial expression but there are tears in his mother’s eyes and for some reason he feels surprised about it. It’s difficult to pair the woman who is currently embracing her son while whispering loving words and compliments, with the picture of the monster that Chan has drawn in his head. It really doesn’t fit any of his calculations. It’s as if Sehyoon has no control over the situation and that feeling puts his security mechanism on edge; waiting for any suspicious movements that would require him to step in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>However, all Chan’s mother does is carefully lifting her hand to brush her fingers through her son’s hair, just like Sehyoon has done it a million times to help him fall asleep after a bad dream. The android freezes. Could all of this be some kind of facade? An attempt to trick them?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He is still brooding over that thought, watching how Chan’s mother lets go of her son and starts gushing about him having grown so tall, when suddenly a man steps forward. Sehyoon hadn’t noticed him until now, having been too focused on the reunion of mother and son, and he silently curses his lack of attention. Chan always tells Sehyoon that he is distracting him too much, but does he know that it’s a two-way struggle?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yuchan… It’s nice to have you back,” the man greets Chan, a warm smile on his face, while Sehyoon watches the scene with vigilant eyes. This time, too, he doesn’t miss the way Chan stiffens. However, he quickly regains his composure and covers it with a smile. One of his fake ones.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Father…” He gives the man a polite nod which only worsens Sehyoon’s confusion. Why is all of this so complicated? Why do humans never show their true emotions? “It really is nice to be back. I’m sorry that I didn’t visit you sooner… I was quite busy.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course… Our brilliant scientist.” The man laughs and walks over to pat Chan’s back, while Sehyoon observes him with a frown. He knows this face and after searching through his memory chip, he remembers, where he has seen it before. This must be Lee Youngchul; Donghun’s father and the man who is currently one of the candidates running for mayor. His smile is the exact same as in the pictures in the news report Sehyoon accidentally caught Donghun watching a while ago and now he can even spot some similarities between him and his father. Both got those sad looking eyes with that same charming energy behind them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I told your mother the same, but she is always worrying so much. You really need to call her back now and then so she can sleep soundly for once.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry…” Chan actually manages to look apologetic but his mother only wildly shakes her head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s fine, it’s fine! You are an adult now, I need to finally accept that.” The smile she gives her son is full of love and again Sehyoon asks himself how this can be the same woman Chan is so afraid of. Are some humans really that good at lying? He glances at Chan who is returning his mother’s smile and feels a piercing pain in his heart which he can’t quite name yet. Nor does he get a chance to think more about it since Mr. Lee focuses his attention on him now, the friendly expression still on his face,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But son, tell us, who is the young gentleman you brought along with you? A colleague? Or a friend perhaps?” Sehyoon isn’t used to so many pairs of eyes looking at him at the same time and he decides that he doesn’t like it. How is he supposed to keep his true identity hidden, when everybody is watching him like that? What if he makes a mistake? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chan seems to detect his nervousness, because he wiggles out of his mother’s grip and protectively wraps an arm around Sehyoon’s waist. This time it’s the android who stiffens. This, too, is something he isn’t used to yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is Sehyoon.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A friend then?” Mrs. Kang wants to know and Chan pulls Sehyoon even closer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“More than that. He is mine.” The scientist’s voice is full of confidence but Sehyoon feels his body trembling next to his own. Surprised, he glances at Chan’s face only to notice that he isn’t looking at his mother. His eyes are returning Mr. Lee’s stare, something burning inside them that Sehyoon’s brain automatically detects as a warning. He frowns. It’s obvious that there is a game getting played but despite being right in the middle of it, Sehyoon can’t seem to be able to figure out the rules. However, that doesn’t mean he can’t try to play his own part in it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A perfect fake smile grows on his own face. “Yes, I’m Chan’s boyfriend. It’s so nice to finally meet his family. He talks about you a lot.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh really?” Mrs. Kang seems delighted by that discovery. “Well it’s really nice to meet you too! It’s the first time that Chan is bringing someone home. I really hope you’ll make yourself feel comfortable.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, of course,” Mr. Lee agrees, but despite his smile not faltering for even a second, the warmth in it suddenly seems to be missing. “I really think it’s time to eat now, though. The food is getting cold and we can still talk later.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They all make their way to the table and Sehyoon hates that Chan has to let go of him to sit down. For some reason, the room feels colder without his warm touch and the temperature decreases even more, once Sehyoon notices the eyes of Chan’s step-father burning his skin like ice. However, whenever he meets them, the other only smiles at him and not even his system can catch anything out of the ordinary.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still, something feels off and Sehyoon hates that he can’t pinpoint what it is.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They eat, the silence mainly getting filled by soft piano music and Chan’s mother talking. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At first she asks about their relationship. How long have you been together? How did you meet? What are your plans for the future? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chan is the one who has to answer all of them since Sehyoon is still unable to lie. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Leave most of the talking to me,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Chan had said, after they had gotten into the car earlier, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s true that we are dating but we should probably leave out the part of me building you.” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sehyoon had understood where his boyfriend was coming from and since he is supposed to pretend to be human, he now simply listens to Chan telling a made up story about them stumbling upon each other in a Café by coincidence, while he slowly shoves rice into his mouth. It’s not his first time eating human food since there aren’t enough excuses in this world to not make Junhee and Donghun suspicious otherwise. Still, he only does it on very rare occasions and despite his body not actually needing food, he has to admit that it’s always an amazing experience. Well, apart from the fact that he usually feels weirdly heavy once he is done eating. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They move from one dish to another, Sehyoon kind of getting lost in the sensation of so many different tastes on his tongue, when Chan’s mother suddenly addresses him, reminding him that this meal isn’t actually supposed to be fun. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sehyoon…” The latter slowly lifts his head to look at her. God, he has been too observed in eating and completely blended out everything else. Are they still talking about their relationship? Or have they moved on to another topic by now?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ve heard Channie’s side of the story now but what has it been like for you? I know my son, he can come off as quite impulsive and stubborn sometimes… What was it that made you fall for him?” Sehyoon blinks at her. So it is still about him and Chan. However, he hasn’t expected such a question and neither has his boyfriend apparently who looks similar caught off guard.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh… uhm…,” he stammers, his system trying to come up with a good answer. Again, he glances at Chan and to his surprise he finds curiosity written on his face, too. Meanwhile, Mrs. Kang seems to regret her question,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry if that’s a bit too personal for the first meeting. You don’t have to answer it, of course.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No… It’s… It’s fine. I was just… caught off guard.” Wow. Sehyoon is able to speak more than ten languages, he’s read every book in Chan’s apartment at least twice and for some reason he can recite all of Shakespeare’s works. However, right now, his system seems to be unable to find any good words to voice his thoughts. It’s not like he doesn’t love Chan… But he really doesn’t know how to express that love and put it into sentences. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… He… He’s just so genuine, when he does things.” He is mumbling; trying his best to not stumble over his own words while his brain thinks of how to keep going, “Genuine and passionate. It takes a while to win his heart but once it’s yours, he’ll love you with all of it. He listens to everything I tell him and makes sure to remember even the smallest details. He doesn’t want people to see it at first but he is a very warm person and I think that’s what made me fall for him…” Silence falls over them, once he finishes. Sehyoon wants to check Chan’s face for his reaction to his strangely sincere explanation but he’s too scared to see fear shining in it again. He doesn’t want to hurt the other with his words but he somehow always manages to say the wrong things. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then he feels a warm hand slip into his under the table and the touch immediately chases away all of his worries. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m so glad my son found someone like you, Sehyoon,” Chan’s mother says, her husband nodding in agreement. The android finally dares to turn to his boyfriend, to his surprise finding a smile on his face. It’s small but it’s the first real one since they have entered the mansion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mother… I think Sehyoon would love to see your beautiful garden.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It’s true that Sehyoon has hoped to see more of the garden around the mansion, but getting separated from Chan still feels wrong. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yes, so far nothing has felt like a danger nor did anyone try to hurt them but what if that changes once Sehyoon is no longer able to see his boyfriend? Would he even be strong enough to fight off all the security guards that seem to be positioned in every corner of the house?</span>
</p>
<p><em><span>“It’s gonna be fine…,</span></em><span>” Chan had told him quietly,  before they had walked into different directions, “</span><em><span>I’ll talk some more to my parents… while you go with Butler Kim and have some fun. We’ll see each other again in less than an hour. I promise.” </span></em><span>Sehyoon still hadn’t been fully convinced, but Chan had leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek, whispering, “</span><em><span>Remember what I told you,” </span></em><span>followed by him</span> <span>walking away. </span></p>
<p>
  <span>Now Sehyoon is once again following Butler Kim through maze-like corridors until they eventually reach a glass door and step into the fresh, mild autumn air. And just like earlier, Sehyoon can’t help but stare at everything in amazement. The garden is really just too beautiful. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?” Butler Kim asks and Sehyoon flinches. It’s the first time that the other android has spoken to him directly. To be honest, he wasn’t even sure if Butler Kim is capable of doing such a thing; stating opinions or asking questions. Sehyoon simply nods, while they make their way past some daffodil beds. Despite it being the wrong season, they are still in full bloom and Sehyoon is sure that the flowers must have gotten altered to bloom throughout the entire year. Humans really can’t leave anything to chance...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I love plants,” he says, softly caressing a blooming hedge. “I’ve got a garden, too, actually, but it’s not as grand as this one.” The other android smiles. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. This garden is quite special. I really like helping the gardeners out. It’s very peaceful work.” They keep on walking down a muddy path in silence until Sehyoon feels brave enough to ask the question that has been burning inside of him since he has first met Butler Kim.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So… You are an android?” He gets a nod in return.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. I got built by Mrs. Lee to serve the Lee family. It’s been nearly two years now.” That means he is older than Sehyoon then...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you like it here?” Again, Butler Kim smiles, his bright blue eyes making Sehyoon feel like they are able to scan his entire program and see right through his act. At that thought, he shudders slightly, despite it not being possible. Chan has been thorough to make sure no kind of technology is able to detect his precious robot. It would be dangerous otherwise. Or at least that’s the information Sehyoon finds on his chip about the matter and it helps him to stay calm. Still, the other’s eyes leave him with an uneasiness he can’t fully shake off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They pass some roses and for a short moment, the memory of Chan and their first kiss on the rooftop provide a nice distraction, only to go into another darker direction. Hopefully his boyfriend is safe… Even if he isn’t, Sehyoon won’t know about it until it’s too late. He just has to hope for the best. It’s nearly a relief, when Butler Kim’s next words pull him out of his thoughts,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course, I like it here. It’s my duty and the purpose of my existence to serve the Lee Family.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, of course. But do you actually like it… Like… Does it make you happy?” Sehyoon can’t help but dig deeper, so focused on the other android that he promptly stumbles over the uneven ground. Luckily, the servant's reflexes match his own and he grabs his arm and steadys him in time for Sehyoon to not end up face first in the mud. He blushes, a thank you already on his lips, but Butler Kim proceeds as if nothing has happened, </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m an android. I feel happy whenever I’m supposed to feel happy.” That answer surprises as well as confuses Sehyoon and a frown grows on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So… You can’t decide when you feel happy yourself?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Sir but I don’t understand that question. I simply do what the Madam and Sir ask me to.” Butler Kim looks at him with the same smile he has worn throughout the entire conversation and without wanting to, Sehyoon feels pity for him. How must it feel to live a life without any control over it? To just do whatever someone else tells you to? However, there is also another realisation dawning on him now, and he can’t push it away, no matter how hard he tries to focus on the flowers around them instead. It mixes with his own self doubts that have grown bigger every time he has ignored the rules and orders Chan has written into his program, until it all eventually forms into a big fuzzy mess.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly he can hear Chan’s voice echoing through his mind, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Why can you never stick to the fucking rules, Sehyoon?!” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The android closes his eyes, putting a hand against his head. His system is running through all kinds of analysis and it makes him feel dizzy. However, it doesn’t take long until the mess disappears and only one thought stays, taking up all of the space in his brain,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are a good android…” It’s neither a question nor a compliment. This… This is what Chan wants him to be like. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There is a weird feeling in his stomach and Sehyoon regrets having eaten so much food. He gulps, trying to ignore it while they keep walking towards a fountain in the distance. He’d love to see it up close, yet, after a couple of minutes, he can no longer take it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Butler Kim…,” he somehow manages to get out through gritted teeth, “Do you think you could take me back to the others? I don’t feel too well and I need to talk to Chan.” Again, there is the too perfect smile that doesn’t quite seem to fit the situation and the blue eyes that pierce through his mind like a laser. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course, Sir. Please follow me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sehyoon isn’t entirely sure how they get back to the house. It’s all a blur, his mind too focused on trying to keep his food where it’s supposed to be. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An error… another one. They seem to become more frequent recently and it scares Sehyoon. What will Chan do? What is it that he’ll have to do? Shut him down? Rewrite his program? Erase the data on his brain chip? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then they finally enter the right room. Sehyoon barely notices how warm and tense the air is or the sofa Chan and his parents are seated on, right in front of a huge light up chimney. All he can focus on are Chan’s wide eyes and the way he jumps up and runs towards him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sehyoon? Are you okay? What happened?!” The last question is directed at Butler Kim. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We were walking towards the hedge maze, when Mr. Kang suddenly began to feel unwell, whereupon he asked me to take him back to the house.” Cool fingers press against Sehyoon’s cheeks, followed by Chan’s concerned expression deepening. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you put anything into the food?!” He turns to his parents, the worry getting replaced by anger while he wraps protective arms around Sehyoon’s body and pushes him behind himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yuchan! How can you still think of us like that?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sehyoon hears Chan huff but it’s getting more and more difficult to make out sounds. It’s as if something is blocking his system so that he is unable to use his senses like he is used to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you really think I can still trust you, after everything you have done?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s been years, Yuchan!” Sehyoon’s vision is blurred but he is pretty sure that Mrs. Kang has jumped up, her hands curled into fists just like Chan’s. “When will you finally realized that that little conspiracy plot of yours is all in your head? It was your father’s own decision! Just like he decided to prioritize greed over honor and love!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not true! He would have never done something like that!” Chan is screaming now. Sehyoon doesn’t like it when Chan is screaming and with the last strength left in him, he feels for his clenched fist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Channie…,” he croaks, at the same moment, Mr. Lee decides to step in, too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How about we all calm down a bit and—,” but Sehyoon isn’t able to hear the rest of the sentence. His legs give in and everything turns dark.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sehyoon awakes to the soft roaring of an engine and it takes him only a couple of seconds, before he recognizes it as Chan’s car. He has listened to the sound more than once, the last time having been not too long ago, when they were driving to the house of Chan’s parents.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At that thought, the memories suddenly hit him with full force and he opens his eyes. It’s dark but he can easily make out the inner car roof as well as some buildings racing past the window. There is a dull pain pulsing through his limbs and head but his stomach feels much better than before he has blacked out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Very slowly, he stretches out his hands and sits up, only to immediately regret it when his system starts flashing red warnings behind his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are supposed to rest. Lay back down, your body isn’t strong enough yet…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sehyoon blinks to force his vision to focus on the person that is sitting in front of him, calmly manoeuvring the car through the crowded streets. He immediately recognizes them as Chan… But wait, Chan can’t drive! It’s as if the other is able to read his thoughts, </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Before you ask… yes I know how to drive… Never bothered to get my license though. I hate driving…” Sehyoon frowns but then just accepts that explanation, his brain too busy thinking about more important things anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What… happened?” His voice sounds weak. The situation is very different from the usual blackouts he gets whenever his system is overwhelmed and it has taken its toll on his body. Chan tenses at his question but he keeps his eyes fixed on the street ahead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not sure… Something made your system collapse. Could have been anything…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So this was… normal?” That though horrifies but also weirdly comforts Sehyoon. On one hand, he never wants to experience any of this ever again but at the same time it would mean that Chan won’t have to alter anything about him. However, a shake of the scientist’s head destroys the little hope he has just gained. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No… this is not supposed to happen… Sehyoon, I…,” Chan hesitates, gulping heavily, before he finally meets his eyes in the rear-view mirror, “I think I have to— to shut you down to do some work on you…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s as if Sehyoon is back in that street, the day it was raining. His body turns cold as if someone is pouring icy water over him and his already slow brain comes to a halt. These are the words he has been most afraid to hear coming from those lips that have still kissed his cheek only a few hours ago. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut me down…?” He stares at Chan who focuses his gaze back on the street. Only his white knuckles, sticking out from the black color of the steering wheel, give away that he is not as calm as he pretends to be. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There are some things I need to do… Some things I have to change…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You want to change me…?” Sehyoon forgets to breathe, too busy drowning in the useless attempt to find any signs that give away that all of this is just a stupid joke. That Chan doesn’t actually mean it. The latter takes a deep breath, before he suddenly yanks the steering wheel around and stops the car at the side of the road.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They sit in silence for what feels like hours; Sehyoon staring at Chan while the latter keeps his eyes on the people walking past them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it… Is it because I’m wrong?” It takes all of Sehyoon’s courage to speak up and ask that question. Again, silence falls over them until Chan slowly shakes his head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, it’s because of something I did wrong…” Sehyoon isn’t exactly sure why, but his answer makes something in him snap and, before his slow system can fully process it, he pushes the door open and scrambles out of the car. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His legs feel unfamiliar and weak but that doesn’t stop him. He stumbles down the street, past light up shop signs and busy humans. He doesn’t know where his feet are carrying him but it also doesn’t matter. He just wants to get away from it all; Chan, the situation, the fact that his system is full of errors… However, due to his bad condition, he is slower than usual and after taking less than thirty steps, there is suddenly a hand grabbing his wrist so that he gets forced to stop.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sehyoon… please it’s dang—,” Chan sounds worried, but Sehyoon has had enough of just sitting quietly and listening, while the other is deciding about his life. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t you get it?!” He turns around, looking into Chan’s surprised eyes without caring that his voice is loud and there are people around them that stop to watch them curiously. “Do you really not get it that when you say you did something wrong, that will always automatically mean that there is also something wrong with me?!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not true—,” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course it is! I can only be as good as you built me! If you are not happy with me then that’s your own fucking fault! So why is it only me who gets punished?!” Anger and hurt rush through his veins like a firestorm until they have erased every bit of reason. Sehyoon should know better than to explode like this in the middle of a crowded street. It’s all just so unfair! He tries to pull his wrist out of Chan’s grip but the latter only holds on even tighter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sehyoon, I’m not trying to punish you… I just want to help…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You call turning me into a brainless robot helping?” Sehyoon can feel his system running hotter and hotter the angrier he gets. Chan seems to notice that too, because he bites on his lower lip, his forehead wrinkling in pain. And still, he doesn’t let go of his arm. His breathing turns shallow though, and that’s nearly enough to make Sehyoon forget about his anger; the rule of wanting to protect Chan fighting against his inner turmoil… In the end, it’s his anger that wins.</span>
</p>
<p><span>“Do you think I don’t know what you always wanted me to be like?” He copies the scientist’s voice nearly perfectly, “</span><em><span>Follow the rules, Sehyoon! Don’t give me orders, Sehyoon! Stop asking so many questions, Sehyoon! An android shouldn’t do this! You can’t love me!</span></em> <em><span>Don’t touch my screens! Don’t leave the house! Don’t do this, a good android wouldn’t do that! </span></em><span>I always blamed myself but the only reason I’m a bad android is because you want me to be like Butler Kim!” Sehyoon’s voice gets louder and louder, while Chan seems speechless, still staring at him with eyes like saucers. Then he suddenly gasps in pain and finally lets go of his wrist. </span></p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh…,” he groans, looking at the bright red flesh of his palm with an expression as if he can’t quite believe Sehyoon is the one who burned it. Immediately there is guilt and worry overshadowing the android’s anger but he doesn’t dare to touch Chan, too scared he’ll make it worse. He has hurt someone… for the first time, it’s really his fault that Chan is in pain and that realization terrifies him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m… sorry…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His creator’s eyes meet his. Sehyoon expects to see anger in them, maybe disappointment, but instead they are filled with guilt and sadness. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How did you get the idea that I want you to be like Butler Kim?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sehyoon gulps, unable to face Chan any longer now that his anger is dying down and tears are welling up instead. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You always say I’m not the way you wanted me to be…,” he whispers, the pain once again cutting through his heart. Suddenly there seems to be no energy left in him and he falls against Chan who catches him with a panicked little cry,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sehyoon!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Should I call an ambulance?” An unfamiliar voice asks and Sehyoon hears Chan politely decline the offer while he drags him towards a bench between two trees on the sidewalk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He just drank too much… Been a rough week. He should be fine in a minute and I got a car nearby.” It nearly makes Sehyoon laugh at how good Chan is at lying. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The crowd that has formed around them slowly breaks up, everybody going their own separate ways. Sehyoon closes his eyes again. He feels more exhausted than ever before in his life and every part of his body is aching.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sehyoon…” A hand gently pushes the hair out of his face and the android lets it happen. “I don’t want to change anything about you…” It’s only a whisper but it makes Sehyoon rip open his eyes so that he can return Chan’s stare which is full of sincerity. “I’m not lying when I say that you are perfect the way you are… Just like I said back then… You are the most brilliant thing I ever built.” Sehyoon searches his face for the hint of a lie; anything that will tell him that Chan is only saying this to make him comply, and perhaps that really is his goal. But Sehyoon is exhausted and it’s easier to give in and wrap his arms around the other’s fragile figure instead of trying to keep the fire of anger inside of him burning. Easier to just pull Chan into his lap and desperately press his mouth against his. It takes the other a couple of seconds to overcome his surprise, but when he does, he returns the kiss not any less passionately.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Say it again…,” Sehyoon begs, once they break away from each other, their heavy breathing turning into white fog that rises towards the starless night sky. In the short time Sehyoon has been alive, the mild summer nights have already started to turn colder. It’s nearly metaphorical. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chan smiles, softly tracing a fingertip along his brow. “You are perfect to me, Sehyoon. I’d never want to change anything about you.” Sehyoon exhales and their lips meet again, when all of a sudden, their kiss gets disturbed by Chan crying out in pain,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Argh, my hand!” He lets go of Sehyoon’s neck and grabs the wrist of his injured right hand to keep it secure. The guilt returns. This is all Sehyoon’s fault and the kiss has nearly made him forget about it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Give it to me,” he orders and it comes as kind of a surprise to him that Chan does so without asking any questions. Very gently, Sehyoon takes the scientist’s hand into his, using his remaining strength to turn his cooling system on full blast, before placing his empty, icy palm on the blistered skin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ahh…,” Chan sighs in relief, his tense body visually relaxing and he lets his forehead drop against Sehyoon’s shoulder. The events of the day seem to have exhausted him just as much as the android.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry…,” Sehyoon apologizes again, the guilt mixing with his tiredness. “I just got really scared… I lost it. It’s my fault…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It wasn’t…,” Chan mumbles, his head still resting on his shoulder. “Shouldn’t have talked to you like that… I’m sorry, too…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about the incident at your parents house?” He gets a shrug as an answer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We can still talk about that tomorrow. But Sehyoon…” Chan turns his head until they are looking at each other again and Sehyoon can’t help but plant a kiss on the tip of his nose which earns him a light slap against his chest and a deep blush. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m trying to be serious here, stop distracting me!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sehyoon chuckles. “Okay, m’sorry…” Chan’s healthy hand finds its way back into his hair and he plays with it absentmindedly, while seemingly thinking about his next words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t want to change anything about you but I still need to get work on you done… You, collapsing like this… It shouldn’t happen and it’s dangerous. I need to repair whatever damage has caused it, before something worse happens… That’s all, I promise! You’ll be perfectly fine afterwards.” Sehyoon slowly nods, blaming Chan’s shifting on the burn which still feels hot against his cooling palm. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s another thing we can discuss tomorrow… For now we should get a doctor to look at your hand.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I basically made you a doctor!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you got no medicine at home, silly,” Sehyoon counters. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chan keeps on complaining throughout the entire drive to the hospital but at the same time, he doesn’t try to stop Sehyoon who feels relieved, when the doctor takes care of his injury, before handing them a cream that is supposed to heal the wound in less than three days.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While Sehyoon is amazed by the prospect of such a fast recovery, Chan doesn’t seem to share his excitement. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Three days… that’s way too much…,” he only mutters once they are back on their way home. “I won’t be able to work with only one hand…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sehyoon huffs. “That’s because you shouldn’t! You need to rest!” He earns an eye roll.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just like you…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll rest together with you then…” Sehyoon throws Chan a grin who weakly returns it. For a split second, the android believes to see a shadow darken the seemingly happy expression, but he decides to ignore it. Instead he runs a hand through Chan’s hair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Attention on the street, Sehyoon!” The other immediately reminds him like always, while still leaning into the touch and Sehyoon can’t help but laugh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He doesn’t say it out loud, but secretly, he is happy that at least for three more days, everything will stay the same. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So I kinda hoped y'all would forget about the content of this chapter if I waited long enough to repost it hahah </p>
<p>It's still one of my favorite chaps so let me know how you liked it! :D Feel free to leave comments and kudos or dm/follow me on Twitter (@babbl1ng)</p>
<p>Sorry the updates are taking so long atm but I promise to finish this fic eventually ^^ probably sooner than later too uwu</p>
<p>Now see you next time and stay healthy! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you sm for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter, pls think about leaving some feedback in the comments or on my twt :) (Twitter: @babbl1ng) &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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